E 

99 


A     History     of     the     Six     Nations 


•  CONRAD  •  KIMM 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Class 


5^ 


imm 


THE     IROQUOIS 

A  HISTORY  OF  THE  SIX  NATIONS 
OF  NEW  YORK 

BY 

S.   C.   KIMM,    A.   M.,   Ph.   D. 

SUPERVISING  PRINCIPAL  OF  THE  MIDDLEBURGII  SCHOOLS 
MIDDLEBURGIT,    N.    Y. 


'•It  was  th3*foe,  fierre,  brave  and  strong, 

Who  for  your  homes  contending  stood, 

That  brought  the  need  which  wrought  ere  long 

Your  mighty  league  of  brotherhood. 

And  though  it  only  lives  in  name, 

Or  on  the  bold  historic  page, 

O  keep  its  bright,  proud  hero-fame 

Unsullied  still  from  age  to  age." 

Hathaway. 


MIDDLEBURGH,  N.  Y. 

PRESS  OF  PIERRE  W.  DANFORTH 

1900 


INTRODUCTION 

The  author's  object  in  presenting  to  the  public    this 
short  History  of  the  Six  Nations  is  to    place    in    com 
plete  form  the  material,  gathered  here  and  there,  often 
from   sources   not  available  to  the  general  reader,  nec 
essary  to  an  understanding  of  the  lives  and  motives  of 
the   people    who   composed  that  powerful  confederacy 
which  controlled  for  many  years  the  polity  of   all    the 
tribes   living    in    the   limits  of  what  is  now  the  North 
Central  States  of  our  country.     Statesmen  by   nature, 
and  conquerors  by  practice,  they  were  well  named  the 
"Romans  of  the  West."     And  although  they  stood  as 
a  strong  bulwark  between  the  French  and  Dutch,    and 
later   between    the  French  and  English  and  thus  were 
largely  influential  in  preserving  their  hunting  grounds 
for  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  yet  slight  mention  is   made 
of   them  in  our  school  histories,  and  little  opportunity 
is  given  our  boys  and  girls  to  learn  what  an  important 
part  they  played  in  the  early  history   of   our   colonial 
and   national   life.      Had  they  thrown  their  influence 
on  the  side  of  the  French  there  is  every  reason   to   be 
lieve   that  this  country,  which  to-day  offers  the  great 
est  opportunities  for  the   development   of   the   numan 
race,    would   not  be  under  the  rule  of  the  descendants 
of  the  liberty  loving  Teutons.       If   this   little   volume 
should   serve   in   some  small  degree  to  keep  green  the 
memory  of  an  unfortunate  people,  who  seemed  by    na 
ture   destined   for  greater  things,  then  its  mission  will 
have  been  accomplished. 

220554 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

The  author  wishes  to  take  this  opportunity  to  thank 
the  Rev.  George  Hardy,  of  Sauquoit,  N.  Y.,  for  his 
timely  article  on  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  to  Hon.  G. 
L.  Danforth,  A.  M.,  Hon.  J.  Edward  Young,  Mr. 
John  Mallery  and  others  for  access  to  their  excellent 
private  libraries. 


REFERENCES 

McMaster's  United  States  History. 

Parkman's  Historical  Works. 

Robert's  New  York  State  History. 

Fisk's  Discovery  of  America. 

New  York  Civil  List. 

Beauchamp's  New  York  State  Museum. 

The  Annals  of  America. 

Smith's  History  of  New  York. 

Morgan's  League  of  the  Iroquois. 

Schoolcraft's  Notes  on  the  Iroquois. 

The  Iroquois,  by  Minnie  Myrtle. 

Documentary  History  of  New  York. 

Sinim's  Border  Warfare. 

Dr.  Colden's  History  of  the  Five  Nations. 

Stone's  Life  of  Brant. 

Campbell's  Border  Wars  of  New  York. 

Lossing's  Empire  State. 


THE     IROQU01S 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   SIX    NATIONS 

THE  first  European  who  touched  American  shores 
found  here  a  race  of  human  beings  unlike  any  that  he 
had  ever  come  in  contact  with  before.  On  the  shores 
of  the  stormy  Atlantic,  the  smiling  Pacific,  in  the 
frozen  North,  beneath  the  scorching  rays  of  the  torrid 
sun,  and  on  the  snow  clad  peaks  of  the  mighty  Andes, 
were  found  the  same  race,  characterized  by  copper  col 
ored  complexion,  high  cheek  bones,  straight  black 
hair  and  small  deep  set  eyes.  Whence  came  this  race 
covering  such  a  vast  territory,  and  ranging  in  culture 
from  the  lowest  grade  of  savagery  up  to  the  highest 
grade  of  barbarism  ?  It  is  not  the  province  of  this  pa 
per  to  discuss  the  origin  of  man,  nor  to  attempt  to 
prove  either  that  Adam  was  the  ancestor  of  the  human 
family,  or,  as  many  scientists  think,  that  man  appear 
ed  in  various  parts  of  the  earth  contemporaneous  with 
the  biblical  Adam.  Before  men  took  up  the  study  of 
Geology  it  was  supposed  that  there  had  been  no  great 
changes  in  the  form  of  the  land  masses  of  the  earth, 
and  so  the  relations  of  the  continents  of  America  and 
Asia  had  remained  the  same  since  the  advent  of  man. 
Because  Europeans  had  never  come  in  contact  with 
such  a  race  before,  they  concluded  that  in  some  remote 
age  he  must  have  come  from  Asia  or  some  Asiatic  is 
lands,  and  so  many  theories  have  been  advanced  show 
ing  how  they  first  reached  these  shores.  Bancroft, 
speaking  of  their  origin  and  consanguinity,  says, 
''Schoolmen  and  scientists  count  their  theories  by  the 


8  A  : :  >:  f :  .••••: :  TE-IJ-:  #ROQUOIS 

hundreds,  each  sus!aimrig  some  pet  conjecture  with  ct 
logical  clearness  equalled  only  by  the  facility  with 
which  he  demolishes  all  the  rest.  One  proves  their 
origin  by  Holy  writ,  another  by  the  sage  sayings  of 
the  fathers.  One  discovers  in  them  Phoenician  mer 
chants,  another  the  ten  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  They  are 
tracked  with  equal  certainty  from  Scandinavia,  from 
Ireland,  from  Iceland,  from  Greenland,  across  Behring 
Strait,  across  the  Northern  Pacific,  the  Southern  Pa 
cific,  from  the  Polynesian  Islands,  from  Australia, 
from  Africa.  Venturesome  Carthagenians  were  thrown 
upon  the  eastern  shore,  Japanese  junks  on  the  western. 
The  breezes  that  waftecl  hither  America's  primogeni 
tors  are  still  blowing,  and  the  ocean  currents  by  which 
they  came  cease  not  yet  to  flow.  The  finely  spun 
webs  of  logic  by  which  these  fancies  are  maintained 
would  prove  amusing  did  not  the  profound  earnestness- 
of  their  respective  advocates  render  them  ridiculous. ' ' 

The  more  we  study  the  American  Indian,  from\  the 
light  of  geology  and  ethnological  history,  the  more  we 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Autochthonic  theory  of  the 
origin  of  our  aborigines  is  the  most  in  accord  with  re 
cent  discoveries  and  consequently  the  most  satisfactory 
of  acceptance.  In  the  first  place  had  he  emigrated 
from  Asia  he  would  have  had  the  same  blood  in  his 
veins  that  coursed  through  the  veins  of  those  Asiatics 
who  founded  the  Ancient  Eastern  Civilizations.  If 
such  were  the  case,  how  was  it  that  he  remained  in  a 
state  of  primeval  savagery  so  many  centuries  while  his 
brethern  were  developing  such  a  high  state  of  civiliza 
tion  in  the  parent  country  ?  Blood  will  tell  !  With 
all  the  natural  advantages  which  the  American  conti 
nent  offers,  scarcely  equaled  anywhere  in  the  world, 
one  would  expect  as  rapid  development  in  civilization 
on  the  American  continent  as  in  Asia.  But  such  was 
not  the  case.  Nowhere  has  there  ever  been  discovered 


THE  SIX  NATIONS  fl 

any  remains  that  showed  much  knowledge  of  art  or 
science.  People  who  had  intelligence  enough  to  con 
struct  ships  or  other  means  of  transporting  themselves- 
across  so  great  distances  would  have  had  intelligence 
enough  to  have  preserved  some  memorial  of  so  great 
an  event.  But  proofs  of  such  are  entirely  wanting. 
Their  traditions  and  myths  go  back  to  their  creation, 
and  yet  it  is  to  be  strongly  questioned  whether  there 
is  much  similarity  between  them  and  those  of  Eastern 
continents — enough  to  even  partially  prove  a  common 
origin.  The  fact  that  they  had  many  social  customs, 
habits  and  religious  rites  similar  to  other  people's  in  tx 
savage  state  proves  nothing  beyond  the  fact  that  all 
nun  in  the  same  plane  of  savagery  and  barbarism  have 
exhibited  the  same  mental,  moral  and  physical  traits. 

Whatever  theory  may  be  adopted  as  to  their  origin, 
or  whatever  birth  place  may  be  assigned  them,  this 
one  thing  all  men  are  agreed  upon,  the  American  abo 
rigines  have  occupied  this  continent  during  a  much 
greater  period  than  was  formerly  thought.  Tradi 
tions,  earth  mounds,  moral  and  physical  peculiarities 
prove  this.  And  yet  when  we  contemplate  that  each 
successive  age  has  left  no  more  track  upon  the  waste 
of  time  than  a  ship  leaves  in  crossing  the  ever  chang 
ing  deep  there  is  seen  something  of  the  difficulties  to 
be  overcome  in  arriving  at  some  definite  knowledge 
concerning  the  primitive  Indian.  Bryant  says  in  his 
noble  poem,  "Thanatopsis,"  "All  that  tread  the  globe, 
are  but  a  handful  to  the  tribes  that  slumber  in  its 
bosom."  Science  is  coming  to  our  aid  and  the  hand 
of  genius  may  yet  gradually  lead  us  back  through  at 
least  part  of  the  long,  dark,  silent  past  into  the  realm 
of  the  primeval  Indian  where  may  be  revealed  to  us 
his  early,  physical  characteristics. 

Researches  during  the  last  fifty  years  have  already 
thrown  much  light  on  the  ethnology  of  the  American 


10  THE  IROQUOIS 

savage.  Shell  mounds  of  great  antiquity  have  been 
found  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  John's,  Alabama,  and. 
Mississippi  Rivers,  and  in  many  other  localities.  The 
glacial  period  was  the  most  characteristic  of  the  Pleio- 
cene  age  which  occurred  certainly  more  than  50,000 
years  ago.  Traces  of  the  existence  of  human  beings 
in  North  America  during  the  glacial  period  have  been 
found  in  abundance.  Quartzite  implements  have  been 
found  in  the  drift  near  the  city  of  St.  Paul.  A  part  of 
a  human  jaw  was  discovered  in  a  deposit  of  red  clay 
belonging  to  the  early  part  of  the  glacial  period. 
Over  sixty  implements,  three  human  skulls  and  other 
bones  were  found  securely  imbedded  in  the  Trenton 
gravel.  Discoveries  by  Prof.  Winchell  show  that  in 
all  probability  all  the  continent  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Mississippi  river  was  inhabited  by  this  race  during 
the  great  ice  age.  In  1866  a  human  skull  was  dis 
covered  in  the  gold  bearing  gravels  of  the  Pleiocene 
age.  This  discovery  has  called  forth  many  heated 
arguments  and  learned  disquisitions  from  scientific 
men.  What  makes  the  discovery  so  interesting  is  the 
fact  that  the  fossil  remains  of  two  apes  most  nearly 
like  man  in  physical  structure  were  found  in  the  Up 
per  Miocene.  By  the  agitation  one  would  think  that 
these  learned  men  are  afraid  that  Darwin's  "Missing 
Link"  may  yet  be  found. 

In  entering  upon  the  study  of  the  people  found  up 
on  this  continent  b}7  Europeans  that  which  strikes  us 
most  forcibly  is  the  great  number  of  languages  spoken 
by  the  different  tribes.  Squier  put  the  number  at  400 
while  Ludewig  claimed  there  were  1,100.  These 
languages  were  divided  into  several  thousand  dialects. 
This  proves  that  there  was  a  sparse  population  con 
sisting  of  many  scattered  tribes.  About  the  eleventh 
or  twelfth  century  there  existed  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River  three  great  families.  One  of  these,  the  Algon- 


THE  SIX  NATIONS  J I 

quins,  occupied  all  that  region  east  of  the  Great  Lakes 
as  far  north  as  Hudson's  Bay  and  east  to  Labrador. 
This  family  was  divided  into  many  tribes  the  names  of 
•which  frequently  occur  in  the  writings  of  the  colonists, 
and  novelists,  like  Cooper.  About  the  thirteenth  or 
fourteenth  century  an  offshoot  of  the  great  Dakota 
family  known  in  history  as  the  Huron-Iroquois  family 
seem  to  have  moved  eastward,  something  as  did  the 
hordes  from  the  great  German  forests  in  early  Euro 
pean  history.  They,  like  the  Teutons,  were  the  most 
hardy  and  aggressive  men  on  the  continent.  Tho' 
numbering  far  less  than  their  neighbors  they  pushed 
their  way  eastward  to  Niagara  where  they  separated, 
part  working  their  way  up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  an 
other  part  going  down  the  Susquehanna.  The  Hu- 
rons  settled  in  the  peninsula  between  the  Great 
Lakes.  Another  part  afterward  known  as  "The  Neu 
tral  Nation"  settled  near  Lake  Erie.  The  Susquehan- 
nocks,  in  the  fertile  valley  of  a  great  river  which  is 
called  after  them  to-day,  while  the  Tuscaroras  went  as 
far  south  as  North  Carolina.  The  group  which  moved 
along  the  north  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  were  per 
haps  the  most  hardy  and  the  most  intelligent  and  im 
portant  of  all  the  aborigines  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mex 
ico.  Cortes  in  1536  found  one  of  their  villages 
"beautiful  for  situation"  on  the  present  site  of  Mon 
treal.  But  they  seem  to  have  been  driven  out  by  the 
vastly  greater  numbers  of  the  Algonquins,  for  several 
years  later  when  Champlain  visited  the  country  the 
beautiful  Iroquois  village  had  vanished.  Doubtless 
the  larger  part  of  them  moved  across  the  river  and 
lake  to  a  locality  near  the  present  site  of  Osvvego, 
where  the  three  small  but  fearless  tribes  of  the  Iroquois 
established  themselves.  At  first  they  consisted  of  the 
Senecas,  Mohawks  and  Onondagas,  but  afterward  two 
•of  these  tribes  became  divided  forming  two  additional 


12  THE  IROQUOIS 

tribes,  viz.,  the  Cayugas  and  Oneidas.  Just  when 
these  five  tribes  united  to  form  that  great  ''Barbaric 
Republic' '  which  played  such  an  interesting  part  in 
the  intercolonial  wars,  is  not  certainly  known,  but  it 
must  have  occurred  previous  to  the  discovery  of  Amer 
ica  by  Columbus. 


CHAPTER  II 

THEIR    LEGENDARY    ORIGIN 

THE  Iroquois  have  a  very  pretty  legend  relating  to 
their  origin  and  final  union  into  a  confederacy.  A 
great  many  years  ago  they  were  confined  under  a 
mountain  near  the  falls  of  the  Oswego  from  where 
the}*  were  led  by  the  "Holder  of  the  Heavens"  into 
the  beautiful  Mohawk  ralley,  along  which  and  farther 
westward  they  settled,  each  tribe  in  a  different  locality. 
About  this  time  the  sixth  tribe,  known  as  the  Tusca- 
roras,  left  and  moved  toward  where  the  birds  fly  in 
winter.  The  remaining  five  tribes  kept  up  a  continu 
al  warfare  with  one  another.  After  a  time  a  fierce 
and  warlike  tribe  came  from  the  home  of  the  north 
wind  and  falling  upon  the  Oaondagas  nearly  exter 
minated  them.  This  threw  the  Iroquois  tribes  into 
the  greatest  consternation.  Unless  they  cotiLl  over 
come  these  northern  barbarians  their  whole  nation 
would  perish.  In  their  great  distress  they  called  upon 
the  "Holder  of  the  Heavens,"  affectionately  called  by 
the  people  Hi-a-wat-ha  "The  Very  \Vise  Man."  The 
IroquoL-.  were  his  dearest  children  so  they  followed  his 
advice  at  all  times.  Hi-a-wat-ha  told  them  to  call 
representatives  from  all  the  tribes  to  a  great  council  to 
be  held  on  the  banks  of  Onondaga  Lake.  The  great 
council  fire  blazed  for  tliree  days  and  yet  no  Hi-a-wat- 
ha  appearedtohelportoadvi.se.  At  length  guided 
by  the  Great  Spirit  he  was  seen  coming  across  the  lake 
in  a  white  canoe  bearing  with  him  his  beautiful  little 
daughter.  Scarcely  had  they  landed  upon  the  shore 
when  there  suddenly  arose  a  migiity  wind  and  an  im- 


14  THE  IROQUOIS 

mense  bird  so  large  as  to  darken  the  landscape  swoop 
ed  down  upon  the  beautiful  girl  and  crushed  her  into 
the  earth.  Speechless  with  grief  Hi-a-wat-ha  mourned 
for  his  daughter  three  days.  Then  he  said,  (<I  will 
meet  you  to-morrow  and  unfold  to  you  my  plans." 
On  the  following  day  he  arose  in  the  council  and  spoke 
as  fellows  : 

"Brothers;  you  have  come  here  from  a  great  dis 
tance  to  provide  safety  for  yourselves  and  your  homes. 
How  should  it  be  done  ?  We  can  make  no  progress 
by  opposing  these  tribes  from  the  cold  north  singly. 
We  must  unite  all  our  tribes  into  one  band  of  brothers. 
In  that  way  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  our  enemies  from 
our  land." 

"You,  the  Mohawks,  sitting  under  the  shadow  of  the 
'Great  Tree,'  whose  roots  sink  deep  into  the  earth, 
and  whose  branches  spread  over  a  vast  country,  shall 
be  the  first  nation,  because  you  are  warlike  and 
mighty." 

"And  you,  Oneidas,  a  people  who  recline  your  bod 
ies  against  the  'Everlasting  Stone,'  that  cannot  be 
moved,  shall  be  the  second  nation,  because  you  give 
wise  counsel." 

"And  you,  Onondagas,  who  have  your  habitation 
at  the  'Great  Mountain'  and  are  overshadowed  by  its 
crags,  shall  be  the  third  nation,  because  you  are  gifted 
in  speech,  and  are  mighty  in  war." 

"And  you,  Cayugas,  whose  habitation  is  the  'Dark 
Forest,'  and  whose  home  is  everywhere,  shall  be  the 
fourth  nation,  because  of  your  superior  cunning  in 
hunting." 

"And  you,  Senecas,  a  people  who  live  in  the  'Open 
Country,'  and  possess  much  wisdom,  shall  be  the  fifth 
nation,  because  you  understand  better  the  art  of  rais 
ing  corn  and  beans,  and  making  cabins." 

"You,    five   great  and  powerful  nations,  must  unite 


THEIR  LEGENDARY  ORIGIN  15 

and  have  but  one  common  interest,  and  no  foe  shall 
be  able  to  disturb  or  subdue  you.  If  we  unite,  the 
Great  Spirit  will  smile  upon  us.  Brothers,  these  are 
the  words  of  Hi-a-wat-ha;  let  them  sink  deep  into  your 
hearts.!  Admit  no  other  nations,  and  you  will  always 
^e~Tree\  numerous  and  happy.  If  other  tribes  and  na 
tions  are  admitted  to  your  councils  they  will  sow  the 
seeds  of  jealousy  and  discord,  and  you  will  become 
few,  feeble  and  enslaved.  Remember  these  words. 
They  are  the  last  you  will  hear  from  Hi-a-wat-ha. 
The  Great  Master  of  Breath  calls  me  to  go.  I  have 
patiently  awaited  his  summons.  I  am  ready  to  go. 
Farewell  !" 

The  legend  ttlls  us  that  when  the  good  Hi-a-wat-ha 
finished  his  speech  the  air  was  filled  with  the  sweetest 
music.  The  beautiful  white  canoe  lose  slowly  into  the 
air,  and  it  bore  their  good  friend  and  wise  councillor 
far  into  the  eternal  blue.  The  music  slowly  died  away 
and  the  dusky  savages  were  left  to  try  the  experiment 
of  becoming  a  confederated  nation. 


CHAPTER  III 

THEIR    NAME    AND    LOCATION 

THEY  proudly  called  themselves  Ongwe-Honwe, 
'"Men  all  surpassing  others,"  and  it  has  been  said  that 
"The)'  were  the  proudest  representatives  of  natural 
manhood  ever  discovered."  Strange  as  it  may  seem 
the  white  men  who  carried  on  negotiations  with  these 
sons  of  the  forest  received  a  diplomatic  training  that 
enabled  them  to  place  New  York  in  a  position  among 
the  colonies  far  beyond  that  to  which  her  size  entitled 
her.  The  Iroquois  designated  themselves  as  Ho-de- 
no-san-nee,  "A  people  dwelling  in  a  long  house." 
According  to  another  writer,  they  called  their  confed 
eracy  Ko-no-shi-oni — the  "Long  House."  Their  ter 
ritory  seems  to  have  extended  from  that  occupied  by 
the  "Neutrals"  near  Lake  Erie  up  to  and  even  beyond 
the  Hudson  River.  The  Senecas  were  placed  in  the 
western  part  of  their  territories  as  a  defence  against 
the  fierce,  western  tribes.  Afterward  the  Iroquois  ex 
tended  their  conquest  as  far  as  the  Mississippi  river, 
and  "it  was  solely  on  this  conquest  that  the  English 
based  their  claims  to  that  territory  as  against  the 
French  at  the  opening  of  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
and  it  was  in  this  way  that  New  York  came  into  pos 
session  of  that  vast  section  which  she  gave  to  the 
United  states  from  which  \\ere  carved  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan  an:l  Wisconsin."  For  this  alone 
both  our  state  and  national  governments  owe  a  great 
debt  to  this  barbaric  republic. 

The  eastern  gate  of  their  territory  was  kept  by  the 
Mohawks,  in  many  respects  the  ablest  warriors  among 


THEIR  NAME  AND  LOCATION  17 

all  the  aborigines  of  America.  Near  Lake  Onondaga 
where  Hi-a-wat-ha  appeared  to  them  in  his  beautiful 
•canoe  they  kept  their  great  council  fire,  the  capital  of 
the  confederacy.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Onondagas  to 
guard  this  fire,  the  general  meeting  place  of  the  nation. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  IROQUOIS 

CLASSICAL  students  are  apt  to  look  to  foreign  lands  as 
the  birth  place  of  political  institutions.  Long  before 
Europeans  had  set  foot  upon  these  shores,  the  Iroquois 
had  marked  out  a  form  of  government  "of  the  whole, 
by  the  whole,  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole,"  almost  a 
prototype  of  that  great  government  which  followed  it, 
— the  best,  and  freest  the  world  has  ever  seen.  Re 
membering  that  this  people  had  not  yet  developed  be 
yond  the  barbaric  stage,  we  are  astonished  to  find  so 
much  in  their  form  of  government  of  what  we  are 
wont  to  expect  only  in  the  highest  civilization.  They 
were  surrounded  by  tribes  not  advanced  beyond  the  high 
est  stages  of  savagery  or  the  first  stages  of  barbarism. 
They  had  never  come  in  contact  with  people  as  intelli 
gent  as  themselves.  The  refining  influences  of  Chris 
tianity  had  never  penetrated  their  strongholds,  and 
they  had  no  universities  greater  than  the  studies  of 
nature  and  their  simple  lives.  How  did  it  happen 
that  there  was  such  a  striking  resemblance  between 
their  clan  and  tribal  governments  and  that  of  our  old 
Teutonic  ancestors  back  in  the  German  forests  nearly 
2000  years  before  ?  Why  had  they  the  spirit  of  the  old 
Greek  Amphictyonic  Council  ?  Our  answer  is  this  : 
Like  needs  have  brought  about  like  conditions  of  so 
ciety  in  various  ages  in  widely  separated  parts  of  the 
earth.  When  first  discovered  the  Iroquois  were  fast 
conquering  or  at  least  gaining  an  influence  over  all  the 
surrounding  tribes.  Their  plan  was  largely  one  of  ex 
termination  and  adoption  rather  than  of  conquest.  If 
they  spared  a  tribe  it  was  to  levy  tribute,  and  woe  to 


THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  IROQUOIS  19 

that  tribe  if  it  refused  to  acknowledge  their  sovereign 
ty.  Some  seem  to  think  that  if  they  had  not  been 
checked  in  their  career  by  the  coming  of  the  whites 
they  would  have  extended  their  empire  over  the  great 
er  psrt  of  North  America.  Their  domain  extended 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Great  Lakes  on  the 
North  to  the  Carolinas  on  the  South,  and  from  the 
lordly  Hudson  on  the  East  to  where  the  Ohio  mingles 
its  peaceful  waters  with  the  Mississippi. 

Although  their  confederation  was  purely  Democratic 
in  spirit,  }'et,  ruling  over  so  large  a  territory,  they 
found  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  representative  form. 
They  were  constrained  at  first  to  form  a  league  of  de 
fense  against  the  more  numerous  and  hostile  tribes  by 
which  they  were  surrounded.  This  union  developed 
their  natural  aptitude  for  government,  and  necessity 
compelled  them  to  keep  it  in  active  operation.  In  a 
short  time  instead  of  acting  on  the  defensive  they  be 
came  the  most  aggressive  warriors  on  the  American 
continent.  Like  the  political  fathers  who  framed  our 
present  constitution  they  made  a  wide  distribution  of 
power. 

Lossing  gives  the  following  division:  "Each canton 
or  nation  <vas  a  distinct  republic,  independent  of  all 
others  in  relation  to  its  domestic  affairs,  but  each 
bound  to  the  others  of  the  league  by  ties  of  honor  and 
general  interest.  Each  canton  had  eight  principal 
sachems,  or  civil  magistrates,  and  several  inferior 
sachems.  The  whole  number  of  civil  magistrates  in 
the  confederacy  amounted  to  nearly  two  hundred. 
There  were  fifty  hereditary  sachems." 

"Each  canton,  or  nation  was  subdivided  into  clans 
or  tribes,  each  clan  having  a  heraldic  insignia  called 
totem.  For  this  insignia  one  tribe  would  have  the 
figure  of  a  wolf;  another  of  a  bear;  another  of  a  deer; 
another  of  a  tortoise  and  so  on.  By  their  totemic 


20  THE  IROQUOIS 

system  they  maintained  a  perfect  tribal  union.  After 
the  European  came,  the  sachem  of  the  tribe  affixed  his 
totem,  in  the  form  of  a  rude  representation  of  the  ani 
mal  that  marked  his  tribe,  to  the  documents  he  was 
required  to  sign,  'like  an  ancient  monarch  affixing 
his  seal.'  " 

Fiske  in  his  Discovery  of  America  sa>s  "The  con 
federacy  had  no  Chief  Sachem  or  Chief  Magistrate." 
But  Lossing  says  "The  League  had  a  President 
clothed  with  powers  similar  to  those  conferred  on  the 
Chief  Magistrate  of  the  United  States.  He  had  au 
thority  to  assemble  a  Congress  of  Representatives  of 
the  League.  He  had  a  cabinet  of  six  advisors,  and 
in  the  Grand  Council  he  was  moderator. ' ' 

PUBLIC   OFFICE 

It  was  only  by  merit  that  public  office  could  be  se 
cured,  and  public  opinion  was  the  only  reward  for 
years  of  active  service. 

The  Onondaga  tribe  was  honored  by  having  the  first 
President  selected  from  among  their  wise  men.  Tra 
dition  says  this  man  was  Ato-tar-ho  who  lived  in  a 
swamp  surrounded  by  hissing  serpents,  and  who  ate 
and  drank  from  dishes  made  from  the  skulls  of  those 
whom  he  had  slain  in  battle. 

Receiving  no  pay  but  that  of  public  favor,  these 
sachems  became  renowned  for  their  prudence  and  sa 
gacity.  All  affairs  of  great  importance  were  transacted 
in  the  general  council  at  Onondaga,  but  in  local  affairs 
and  in  cases  of  pressing  emergency  each  nation  acted 
for  itself. 

In  one  thing  the  Iroquois  were  not  unlike  the  Ro 
mans  ;  military  power  was  stronger  than  the  civil 
power  and  often  overthrew  the  latter  by  deposing  the 
sachems.  The  military  leaders  received  their  author 
ity  from  the  people,  receiving  the  title  of  Chief.  A 
military  leader  wishing  to  secure  a  band  of  followers 


THK  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  IROQUOIS        21 

organized  a  war  dance,  which  was  the  recruiting  sta 
tion  of  the  tribe.  It  was  never  necessary  to  resort  to 
conscription  to  fill  the  ranks.  But  however  strong 
the  army  might  be,  there  was  a  third  party  which  had 
the  right  to  veto  a  declaration  of  war.  This  party 
\vas  composed  of  the  matrons  of  the  long  houses  who 
could  demand  a  cessation  of  war;  nor  wras  it  any  dis 
grace  for  the  bravest  chief  to  bury  the  hatchet  at  the 
command  of  the  peace  party.  In  this  one  thing,  at 
least,  the  Iroquois  were  a  step  in  advance  of  the  most 
highly  civilized  nations  of  to-day,  "woman  was  man's 
co-worker  in  legislation."  Pre-eminent  in  their  love 
of  freedom  they  never  made  slaves  of  any,  not  even 
captives  in  war.  These  they  either  killed  or  adopted 
into  their  own  tribes.  Born  diplomats  they  excelled 
many  a  modern  master  of  diplomatic  art  in  tact,  self 
repression  and  political  sagacity. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  HOME 

ONE  of  the  most  interesting  things  in  the  study  of 
these  Indians  is  that  of  their  manner  of  building  their 
habitations  or  "Long  Houses."  I  quote  from  Mr. 
Morgan's  "House  Life  of  the  American  Aborigines." 
^•The  long  house  was  from  fifty  to  eighty  and  some 
times  one  hundred  feet  long.  It  consisted  of  a  strong- 
frame  of  upright  poles  set  in  the  ground,  which  was 
strengthened  with  horizontal  poles  attached  with 
withes,  and  surmounted  with  a  triangular,  and  in  some 
cases  with  a  round  roof.  It  was  covered  over,  both 
sides  and  roof,  with  long  strips  of  elm  bark  tied  to  the 
frame  with  strings  or  splints.  An  external  frame  of 
poles  for  the  sides  and  of  rafters  for  the  roof  was  then 
adjusted  to  hold  the  bark  shingles  between  them,  the 
two  frames  being  tied  together.  The  interior  of  the 
house  was  comparted  [divided]  at  intervals  of  six  or 
eight  feet,  leaving  each  chamber  entirely  open  like  a 
stall  upon  the  passage  way  which  passed  through  the 
centre  of  the  house  from  end  to  end.  At  each  end 
wras  a  doorway  covered  with  suspended  skins.  Be 
tween  each  four  apartments,  two  on  a  side,  was  a  fire 
pit  in  the  centre  of  the  hall,  used  in  common  by  their 
occupants.  Thus  a  house  with  five  fires  would  con 
tain  twenty  apartments  and  accommodate  twenty 
families,  unless  some  apartments  were  reserved  for 
storage.  They  were  warm,  room}',  and  tidily-kept 
habitations.  Raised  bunks  were  constructed  around 
the  walls  of  each  apartment  for  beds.  From  the  roof 
poles  were  suspended  their  strings  of  corn  in  the  ear, 
braided  by  the  husks,  also  strings  of  dried  squashes 


THE  HOME  23 

and  pumpkins.  Spaces  were  contrived  here  and  there 
to  store  away  their  accumulations  of  provisions.  Each 
house,  as  a  rule,  was  occupied  by  related  families,  the 
mothers  and  their  children  belonging  to  the  same  gens, 
while  their  husbands  and  the  fathers  of  the  children 
belonged  to  other  gentes;  consequently  the  gens  or 
clan  of  the  mother  largely  predominated  in  the  house 
hold.  Whatever  was  taken  in  the  hunt  or  raised  by 
cultivation  by  any  member  of  the  household  was  for 
the  common  benefit.  Provisions  were  made  a  common 
stock  within  the  household.  Besides  the  food,  the  do 
mestic  utensils,  the  rude  implements  of  husbandry, 
and  the  children  belonged  wholly  to  the  gens  or  clan." 

IROQUOIS  WOMEN 

Marriage  life  among  tne  Indians  was  somewhat  dif 
ferent  from  that  among  the  white  people  of  our  times. 
Fiske  in  his  most  excellent  work — The  Discovery  of 
America,  says:  "When  a  young  woman  got  married 
she  brought  her  husband  home  with  her.  Though 
henceforth  an  inmate  of  this  household  he  remained 
an  alien  to  her  clan.  If  he  proved  lazy  and  failed  to 
do  his  share  of  the  providing,  woe  be  to  him.  No 
matter  how  many  children,  or  whatever  goods  he 
might  have  in  the  house,  he  might  at  any  time  be 
ordered  to  pick  up  his  blanket  and  budge;  and  after 
such  orders  it  would  not  be  healthful  for  him  to  dis 
obey,  the  house  would  be  to  hot  for  him  and  unless 
saved  by  the  intercession  of  some  aunt  or  grandmother 
of  his  wife  he  must  retreat  to  his  own  clan,  or,  as  was 
often  done,  go  and  start  a  new  matrimonial  alliance  in 
some  other.  The  female  portion  ruled  the  house. ' ' 
And  yet  the  wife  was  the  slave  of  her  husband.  It 
was  she  who  generally  dressed  the  skins  from  which 
she  made  clothing  for  the  family  and  often  built  the 
wigwam.  She  cultivated  the  soil  with  the  rudest  im 
plements  while  her. husband  hunted  and  fished  or  went 


24  THE  IROQUOIS 

upon  the  warpath.  One  writer  has  said  that  "These 
women,  in  keeping  secrets  and  in  being  close-mouthed 
excel  all  the  other  women  of  the  world.  Rubens  nor 
Titian  could  hardly  equal  them  in  the  skill  of  coloring 
their  robes,  belts  of  wampum,  or  birch  boxes  in  red, 
blue  or  yellow.  They  used  quills  of  porcupines  as  their 
pencils,  and  selected  for  their  colors  the  leaves  and 
blossoms  of  plants,  chiefly  the  forest  sumac  and  the 
juice  of  berries." 

POTTERY 

The  Iroquois  excelled  many  of  the  other  Indians  in 
the  manufacture  of  fabrics  and  domestic  utensils, 
which  they  often  ornamented  with  taste  and  skill. 
One  of  the  most  ancient  of  their  arts  was  that  of  pot 
tery.  In  very  old  mounds  are  found  earthern  pots  and 
pipes  with  curious  ornamentation.  Some  of  this  ware 
is  so  firm  as  to  admit  of  considerable  polish.  The  ma 
terial  out  of  w7hich  they  made  their  pottery  was  clay 
and  quartz.  According  to  Morgan,  who  was  well 
versed  in  the  domestic  life  of  the  Iroquois,  their  clay 
pipes  were  as  hard  as  marble.  They  often  ornament 
ed  their  pipes  with  the  picture  of  some  animal.  An 
other  kind  of  pipe  was  carved  out  of  soap-stone. 

In  Indian  burial  places  are  found  earthen  pots  hold 
ing,  perhaps,  five  or  six  quarts  in  which  had  been    de 
posited  food  for  the  departed  to  sustain  them  while  on 
their  journey  to  the  realm  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
EDGE  TOOLS 

Metal  utensils  seem  to  have  been  unknown  among 
the  Iroquois  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man 
[Morgan.]  They  made  rude  knives  and  chisels  of 
flint  and  hornstone.  The  tomahawk  also  was  made  of 
stone  and  was  shaped  not  unlike  the  steel  axe  of  the 
present  day,  except  that,  instead  of  an  eye,  a  groove 
was  hollowed  out  around  the  tomahawk  in  which  a 
crotched  or  split  stick  was  fastened  with  a  thong  or 


THE  HOME  25 

withe.  They  also  made  a  kind  of  stone  gouge,  con 
cave,  by  means  of  which  they  hollowed  out  hard 
stones  for  mortars  in  which  they  ground  their  corn, 
paint,  barks  and  roots  for  medicines.  It  was  only 
with  the  greatest  labor  that  an  Indian  could  cut  down 
trees,  and  cut  them  into  logs.  Fire  was  applied  at 
the  foot  and  as  fast  as  the  wood  became  charred  the 
coal  was  scraped  away  till,  after  a  long  time,  the  tree 
was  burned  through  and  fell.  In  the  same  manner  it 
was  burned  through  at  regular  distances  to  make  logs. 

BARK  BARRELS,   AND  TRAYS 

Perhaps  more  convenient  articles  were  made  out  of 
the  bark  of  trees  than  of  any  other  material.  Barrels 
wrere  made  of  the  inside  bark  of  the  red  elm.  It  was 
arranged  so  that  the  grain  ran  around  the  barrel,  and 
carefully  fastened  up  and  down  the  side  with  thread 
made  of  thin  bark  or  hide.  These  had  a  bottom  and 
not  infrequently  a  cover  and  were  used  as  receptacles 
for  seeds,  corn,  beans,  dried  fruits,  and  the  like.  They 
were  very  durable,  often  being  retained  in  the  family 
for  a  hundred  years.  [Morgan.]  A  flat  piece  of  inside 
bark  from  some  large  tree  was  turned  up  at  the  ends 
and  sides,  which  were  held  in  place  both  inside  and 
out  by  splints  of  some  very  strong  wood.  This  made 
a  very  convenient  tray  for  many  uses.  In  these  were 
mixed  the  various  ingredients  from  which  were  made 
their  most  civilized  food. 

ROPES  AND    STRAPS 

From  bark  wrere  also  made  the  rope  and  strap  with 
which  they  carried  their  burdens.  Rawhide  was  often 
used  but  does  not  seem  to  have  been  as  serviceable  as 
those  made  from  bark.  The  inside  bark  of  the  elm  or 
bass  wood  was  secured  and  boiled  in  ashes  and  water. 
Then  it  was  dried  and  separated  into  filaments,  wrhich 
were  braided  into  various  kinds  of  rope.  That  made 
from  slippery-elm  was  very  pliable  and  the  most  dur- 


-26  THE  IROQUOIS 

able.  The  burden  strap  used  by  the  Indian  women 
was  often  ornamented  with  porcupine  quill-work. 
These  displayed  a  skill  in  design  and  workmanship 
scarcely  equalled  by  the  women  of  any  barbaric  nation. 

MAPLE  SUGAR 

One  of  the  Indian  festivals  is  that  instituted  to  the 
maple  and  is  known  as  the  Maple  Dance.  Whether  the 
Indian  learned  from  the  white  man  how  to  make  sugar 
or  the  white  man  learned  from  the  Indian  is  uncertain. 
[Morgan.]  At  any  rate,  the  Indian  sap- tub  was  a 
unique  and  handy  article  surpassing  the  trough  used 
so  many  years  by  our  forefathers.  "A  strip  of  bark 
about  three  feet  in  length  by  two  in  width,  makes  the 
tub.  The  rough  bark  is  left  upon  the  bottom  and 
sides.  At  the  joint  where  the  bark  is  to  be  turned 
up  to  form  the  ends,  the  outer  bark  is  removed;  the  in 
ner  rind  is  then  turned  up,  gathered  together  in  small 
folds  at  the  top  and  tied  around  with  a  splint.  It  is 
then  ready  for  use,  and  will  last  several  seasons. 
Aside  from  the  natural  fact  that  the  sap  would  be 
quite  at  home  in  the  bark  tub,  and  its  flavor  preserved 
untainted,  it  is  more  durable  and  capacious  than  the 
wooden  one  and  more  readily  made."  [Morgan.] 

THE    BIRCH    BARK    CANOE. 

The  Indian  also  excelled  in  making  his  bark  canoe 
which  was,  perhaps,  his  only  conveyance  worthy  the 
name.  It  was  so  light  that  he  could  carry  it  around 
falls  and  obstructions,  so  strong  that  it  could  carry 
several  tons,  and,  with  good  care  and  usage,  would 
last  many  years.  It  was  made  from  the  bark  of  the 
birch,  red-elm  or  hickory.  A  single  piece  of  bark  was 
taken  from  a  tree  from  ten  to  forty  feet  in  length,  and, 
after  the  rough,  outside  bark  was  peeled  off,  was  bent 
into  the  required  shape.  All  around  the  top  edge  of 
the  canoe,  rim  pieces,  both  inside  and  out,  were  fasten 
ed  either  with  threads  of  bark  or  with  splints.  Across 


THE  HOME  27 

the  bottom,  inside,  and  up  the  sides  were  placed  ribs 
at  a  distance  apart  of  a  few  inches,  which  were  fasten 
ed  to  the  rims.  Lengthwise,  on  the  bottom  was  some 
times  placed  a  thin,  wide  piece  of  wood  on  which  to 
stand.  Pitch  was  used  in  stopping  seams  and  small 
holes.  At  the  ends,  which  were  pointed,  the  bark  was 
united  with  the  greatest  care.  One  person  usually 
paddled  these  canoes,  while  standing  in  the  stern,  ex 
cept  on  long  expeditions  when  several  seated  on  alter 
nate  sides  paddled  the  light  canoe  with  great  swiftness. 
By  the  use  of  this  conveyance  they  passed  quickly  from 
point  to  point  along  their  numerous  lakes  and  rivers. 
The  furs  which  the  early  traders  bought  of  the  Indians 
were  brought  a  great  distance  in  their  easily  contrived 
boats. 

SNOW  SHOES 

"The  snow  shoe  is  an  Indian  invention."  [Mor 
gan.]  The  white  hunter  quickly  saw  its  utility  and 
made  it  his  inseparable  companion  on  his  long  winter 
expeditions.  With  it  he  could  travel  farther  on  the 
snow  than  he  could  in  summer  on  the  ground.  It  was 
no  unusual  thing  for  a  trapper  to  travel  forty  miles  be 
tween  sun  -and  sun  on  a  pair  of  snow  shoes.  At  the 
same  time  he  would  carry  a  heavy  load  of  traps  or 
furs  besides  his  gun  and  provisions.  A  piece  of  hick 
ory  or  ash  about  one  inch  in  diameter  and  six  feet  long 
was  bent  with  the  bow  at  the  front  end  and  brought  to  a 
point  at  the  heel.  Near  the  front  it  was  from  fourteen 
to  eighteen  inches  across,  and  held  in  shape  by  cross 
pieces  firmly  fastened  at  each  end  to  the  rim  or  frame. 
Between  these  cross  pieces  and  the  outside  frame,  was 
a  very  strong  netting  of  woven  deer  thongs,  the 
meshes  of  which  were  about  an  inch  across.  At  the 
fore  part  of  this  net  work  the  ball  of  the  foot  was  fast 
ened,  leaving  the  heel  free,  while  the  toes  of  the  foot, 
at  every  step,  naturally  bent  over  the  cross  braids  to 


28  THE  IROQUOIS 

which  the  net  work  was  fastened  at  the  front.  If  the 
snow  be  slight!}7  packed  or  frozen  it  will  bear  a  man 
who  can  easily  run  down  heavy  game. 

THE    BABY    FRAME 

Another  Indian  invention  was  the  baby  frame.  It 
was  about  two  feet  in  length  and  twelve  or  fourteen 
inches  through,  curved  at  the  front,  and  having  a  bow 
extending  out  over  the  front  at  the  upper  end.  The 
mother  exercised  the  greatest  skill  in  ornamenting  the 
frame.  The  baby  was  wrapped  in  a  soft  blanket  and 
placed  in  this  frame,  and  a  cover  was  thrown  over  the 
arch  or  bow  at  the  top.  When  walking,  the  mother 
fastened  this  frame  to  her  back.  When  working  in 
the  field,  she  would  hang  it  from  some  nearby  support 
and  it  would  swing  in  the  breeze.  Travellers  tell  us 
that  a  baby  would  hang  thus  for  hours  and  not  make 
a  single  complaint. 

BASKETS   AND   BOTTLES 

The  Indian  women  also  showed  much  inventive  gen 
ius  in  the  baskets  which  they  wove  from  splints,  corn- 
husks  and  flags.  The  most  perfectly  finished  of  these 
was  the  sieve  basket,  designed  for  sifting  corn  meal. 
The  bottom  of  the  basket  was  woven  so  finely  as  to  an 
swer  this  purpose  nearly  as  well  as  a  wire  sieve.  [Mor 
gan.]  Another  ingenious  contrivance  was  the  salt 
bottle  which  was  woven  larger  at  the  bottom  than  at 
the  top  and  looked  not  unlike  a  small  wicker  woven 
demijohn. 

THE    MOCCASIN 

"The  moccasin  is  preeminently  an  Indian  invention, 
and  one  of  the  highest  antiquity."  [Morgan.]  It  was 
made  of  a  single  piece  of  skin  with  a  seam  only  at  the 
top  and  heel.  When  not  allowed  to  fall  at  the  top,  it 
reached  above  the  ankle  where  it  was  fastened  with 
deer  strings.  There  has  never  been  made  any  outside 
covering  for  the  foot  that  was  more  nearly  adapted  to 


THE  HOME  29 

the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed.  The  needle 
was  made  from  a  bone  found  near  the  ankle  joint  of 
the  deer.  The  thread  was  made  from  the  sinews  of 
the  same  animal.  The  deer  skin  is  tanned  by  the  use 
of  the  brains  of  the  deer.  These  are  dried  in  cakes  for 
future  use.  The  hair  is  scraped  from  the  skin,  after 
which  the  skin  is  soaked  in  a  solution  made  by  boiling 
the  cake  of  brains  in  water.  After  a  few  hours  it  is 
wrung  and  stretched  till  it  becomes  pliable.  Some 
times  it  is  necessary  to  repeat  this  process.  Afterward 
it  is  thoroughly  smoked  till  the  pores  are  full  and  the 
skin  is  tough  It  is  then  ready  for  use.  The  brains 
of  some  other  animals  were  also  used.  Bear  skins 
were  not  tanned  but  were  left  with  the  hair  on  for 
beds  upon  which  to  sleep.  [Morgan.] 

INDIAN    CORN 

The  Iroquois  used  three  kiads  of  corn,  White,  Red 
and  White  Flint.  When  ripe  they  husked  and  braid 
ed  it  as  our  farmers  do  to-day  and  hung  it  in  a  dry 
place.  It  was  their  staple  article  of  food,  and  they 
used  it  on  nearly  all  occasions.  They  ground  it  in  a 
mortar  and  sifted  the  meal  in  a  sieve  basket,  and  then 
baked  it  in  loaves  an  inch  thick  and  about  six  inches 
in  diameter.  This  was  the  Indian  bread.  They  also 
had  a  way  of  charring  the  corn  which  would  cause  it 
to  keep  for  several  years.  Another  way  was  to  pick 
the  corn  when  it  was  yet  green  and  partially  roast  it, 
and  then  it  was  shelled  and  dried  in  the  sun.  With  it 
was  mixed  about  a  third  part  of  maple  sugar  and 
ground  into  flour.  The  hunter  or  warrior  could  sub 
sist  upon  a  small  amount  of  this  while  on  a  long  ex 
pedition.  '  'This  noble  grain,  one  of  the  gifts  of  the 
Indian  to  the  world,  is  destined,  eventually,  to  become 
one  of  the  staple  articles  of  human  consumption." 
[Morgan.] 


CHAPTER  VI 

LEGENDS 

Nearly  all  writers  on  Indian  affairs  tell  us  the  Indian 
knew  little  if  anything  of  the  passion  of  love.  But  the 
large  number  of  love  legends  that  have  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation  go  to  show  that 
the  dusky  young  people  of  the  forest  could  love  as 
truly  as  the  more  civilized  white  people. 

In  different  parts  of  our  State  are  to  be  found  huge 
bluffs  where  the  ledge  of  rock  has  either  been  raised 
nearly  vertical  by  some  great  upheaval  of  the  earth's 
crust,  or  has  been  worn  away  on  one  side  so  as  to  pre 
sent  an  unbroken  fall  of  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet. 
These  places  are  known  as  "Lovers'  Leap."  There  is 
such  a  romantic  spot  near  the  city  of  Little  Falls.  The 
Indians  have  a  very  pretty  legend  connected  with  these 
places.  Once  upon  a  time,  when  one  of  the  Iroquois 
nations  was  at  war  with  the  Algonquins,  a  brave  and 
handsome  young  chief  was  taken  prisoner  and  con 
demned  to  die.  While  awaiting  the  day  of  execution, 
he  was  fed  by  a  beautiful  Iroquois  maiden ,  daughter 
of  the  chief.  Her  pity  for  the  brave  young  warrior 
soon  changed  to  love,  and  she  determined  to  save  his 
life.  Watching  her  opportunity,  one  night  when  the 
sentinels,  tired  with  their  long  vigil,  had  fallen  asleep, 
she  glided  silently  to  his  side  and  cut  the  cords  which 
bound  him,  and  whispered  to  him  to  follow  her. 
Scarcely  had  they  reached  the  river's  brink  when  the 
shrill  war  whoop  sounded  on  the  night  air,  and  they 
knew  they  were  pursued.  They  had  not  gone  a  hun 
dred  rods  before  they  saw  a  dozen  hardy  \varriors  in 
canoes  rapidly  gaining  upon  them.  They  paddled  to 


LEGENDS  31 

the  shore  and  climbed  the  rugged  mountain  on  the 
brow  of  which  they  were  discovered  in  the  early  morn 
ing  light.  The  old  chief,  beside  himself  with  anger, 
drew  his  bow  to  shoot  the  fugitive  Algonquin,  when 
the  maiden  stepped  before  him  to  shield  him  from  her 
father.  She  plead  for  her  lover's  life,  and  said  they 
would  throw  themselves  from  the  precipice  rather  than 
be  separated.  Several  warriors  were  sent  forward  to 
secure  them,  when  the  lovers,  with  a  despairing  cry, 
turned  and  threw  themselves  from  the  ledge  and  died 
together  on  the  rocks  below.  Too  late  the  stern  father 
repented  of  his  cruelty  and  wept  over  the  tragic  end  of 
the  life  of  his  beautiful  daughter. 

DISCOVERY    OF     MEDICINE 

The  Indians  have  some  queer  traditions  concerning 
the  discovery  of  medicinal  plants.  The  following  is 
one  of  these  :  "An  Indian  hunter  went  forth  to  hunt, 
and  as  he  wandered  in  the  forest  he  heard  a  strain  of 
beautiful  music  far  off  among  the  trees.  He  listened 
but  could  not  tell  whence  it  came,  and  kne\v  it  could 
not  be  by  any  human  voice,  or  from  any  instrument  he 
had  ever  heard.  As  he  came  near  it  ceased.  The 
next  evening  he  went  forth  again,  but  he  heard  not 
the  music;  and  again,  but  in  vain.  Then  came  the 
Great  Spirit  to  him  in  a  dream  and  told  him  he  must 
fast,  and  wash  himself  till  he  was  purified,  and  then 
he  might  go  forth,  and  he  would  hear  again  the  music. 
So  he  purified  himself  and  went  again  among  the 
darkest  trees  of  the  forest,  and  soon  his  ear  caught  the 
sweet  strains,  and  as  he  drew  near  they  became  more 
beautiful,  and  he  listened  till  he  had  learned  them  and 
could  make  the  same  sweet  sounds.  Then  he  saw  that 
it  was  a  plant  with  a  tall  green  stem  and  long  tapering 
leaves.  He  took  his  knife  and  cut  the  stalk,  but  ere 
he  had  scarcely  finished,  it  healed  and  was  the  same  as 
before.  He  cut  it  again,  and  again  it  healed,  and  then 


:32  THE  IROQUOIS 

he  knew  it  would  heal  diseases,  and  he  took  it  home 
and  dried  it  by  the  fire,  and  pulverized  it,  and  apply 
ing  a  few  particles  of  it  to  a  dangerous  wound,  no 
sooner  had  it  touched  the  flesh  than  it  was  whole. 
Thus  the  Great  Spirit  taught  the  Indian  the  nature  of 
medicinal  plants,  and  directed  him  where  they  were 
.to  be  found." 

THE  PIGMIES  AND    GREAT     BUFFALOES 

The  Pigmies  were  like  folks,  who  lived  in  the  far 
distant  North  where  it  was  so  cold  that  they  could  not 
grow  to  the  stature  of  men  and  women.  These  little 
folks  were  always  doing  good  to  the  family  of  man. 
'The  Great  Buffaloes  were  huge  monsters  that  lived  on 
human  flesh  and  travelled  in  great  subterranean  walks 
from  which  they  would  suddenly  appear  upon  the 
earth  and  devour  all  the  people  in  a  village  before  they 
had  time  to  escape.  "One  day  an  Indian  maiden  was 
dipping  w^ater  from  a  little  brook,  and  as  she  bent  over 
the  stream,  the  water  reflected  a  strange  appearance. 
On  looking  up  she  beheld  three  Pigmies  just  alighting 
near  where  she  stood.  She  knew  immediately  that 
there  was  danger,  for  they  never  at  any  other  time 
made  themselves  visible  to  mortal  eyes.  The  Pigmies 
knew  where  the  Great  Buffaloes  had  gone,  and  that 
they  would  soon  return,  and  they  bade  the  maiden 
flee  to  inform  her  people  that  they  might  be  ready  for 
flight  if  they  should  not  succeed  in  their  mission;  but 
they  told  her  they  \vould  meet  her  again  at  the  stream 
and  inform  her  if  they  were  able  to  destroy  them. 
When  they  had  finished  their  message,  with  one  stroke 
of  their  paddles  the  canoe  arose  in  the  air  and  sailed 
along  over  the  tree  tops  a  great  distance,  and  then  de 
scended  to  the  water,  when  another  stroke  bore  it 
again  aloft.  When  they  reached  the  place  where  the 
buffaloes  appeared,  they  cut  down  the  largest  hickory 


LEGENDS  33 

trees  and  split  them  in  two  parts  for  their  bows,  and 
made  them  arrows  of  the  tallest  pines  of  the  forest. 
With  these  they  pierced  them  and  sent  the  arrows  with 
such  force  that  they  passed  through  the  monsters,  who 
fell  crushing  whole  forests  beneath  them.  From  their 
blood  arose  the  small  buffaloes,  while  their  bones  have 
remained  undecayed  for  untold  centuries." 

1  'The  Pigmies,  having  accomplished  their  purpose,  re 
turned  to  inform  the  maiden  at  the  stream,  who  listened 
to  their  story  with  delight,  and  ran  to  announce  the 
glad  tidings  to  her  people,  and  then  they  departed  to 
their  northern  home. ' ' 

THE    PLEIADES 

The  Pleiades,  or  Seven  Stars,  were  placed  in  the 
heavens  in  the  following  manner  : 

'  'Seven  little  boys  asked  their  mothers  to  permit  them 
to  make  a  feast;  but  they  were  denied.  Still  intent  up 
on  their  purpose,  they  went  alone  and  procured  a  little 
white  dog  to  sacrifice,  and  while  dancing  around  the 
fire,  they  were  suddenly  carried  away  through  the  air 
by  some  invisible  spirit.  Their  mothers  gazed  after 
them  with  inconsolable  anguish,  till  they  saw  them  take 
their  place  in  the  sky  among  the  starry  hosts,  where 
they  are  dancing  still  as  the  seven  stars  of  the  pleiades. ' ' 

WITCHCRAFT 

A  belief  in  witchcraft  seems  to  have  been  born  in  the 
American  Indian  From  the  very  interesting  writing 
of  Schoolcraft  I  take  the  following,  concerning  this  be 
lief  among  the  Iroquois  : 

"Among  the  Iroquois  the  belief  was  universal,  and 
its  effects  upon  their  prosperity  and  population,  if  tra 
dition  is  to  be  credited,  were  at  times  appalling.  The 
theory  of  the  popular  belief,  as  it  existed  in  the  several 
cantons,  was  this  :  The  witches  and  wizards  constitut 
ed  a  secret  association,  which  met  at  night  to  consult  on 
mischief,  and  each  was  bound  to  inviolable  secrecy. 


34  THE  IROQUOIS 

They  say  this  fraternity  first  arose  among  the  Nanti- 
cokes.  A  witch  or  wizard  had  power  to  turn  into  a 
fox  or  wolf,  and  run  very  swift,  emitting  flashes  of 
light.  They  could  also  transform  themselves  into  a 
turkey  or  big  owl,  and  fly  very  fast.  If  detected,  or 
hotly  pursued,  they  could  change  into  a  stone  or  rotten 
log.  They  sought  carefully  to  procure  the  poison  of 
snakes  or  poisonous  roots,  to  effect  their  purposes. 
They  could  blow  hairs  or  worms  into  a  person. ' ' 

The  same  authority  recites  a  story  told  by  Webster, 
the  naturalized  Onondaga,  who  heard  it  from  the  lips 
of  an  aged  Onondaga.  This  old  man  said  that  he  had 
formerly  lived  near  the  old  church  on  the  Kasoida 
Creek,  near  Jamesville,  where  there  was  in  old  times  a 
populous  Indian  village.  One  evening,  he  said,  whils't 
he  lived  there  he  stepped  out  of  his  lodge,  and  immedi 
ately  sank  in  the  earth,  and  found  himself  in  a  large 
room,  surrounded  by  three  hundred  witches  and  wiz 
ards.  Next  morning  he  went  to  the  council  and  told 
the  chiefs  of  this  extraordinary  occurrence.  They  ask 
ed  him  whether  he  could  not  identify  the  persons.  He 
said  he  could.  They  then  accompanied  him  on  a  visit 
to  all  the  lodges,  where  he  pointed  out  this  and  that 
one,  who  were  marked  for  execution.  Before  this  in 
quiry  was  ended,  a  very  large  number  of  persons  of 
both  sexes  were  killed.  Another  tradition  says  that 
about  fifty  persons  were  burned  to  death  at  the  Onon 
daga  castle  for  witches. 

The  delusion  prevailed  among  all  the  cantons.  The 
last  persons  executed  for  witchcraft  among  the  Oneidas, 
suffered  about  forty  years  ago.  They  were  two  females. 
The  executioner  was  the  notorious  Hon  Yost  of  revolu 
tionary  memory.  He  entered  the  lodge,  according  to  a 
prior  decree  of  the  Council,  and  struck  them  down  with 
a  tomahawk.  One  was  found  in  the  lodge;  the  other 
suffered  near  the  lodge  door. 


LEGENDS  35 

ANCIENT   WORSHIP 

In  Schoolcraft's  notes  on  the  Iroquois  we  read  "that 
it  was  a  striking  peculiarity  of  the  ancient  religious 
system  of  the  Iroquois  that,  once  a  year,  the  priesthood 
supplied  the  people  with  sacred  fire.  For  this  purpose, 
a  set  time  was  announced  for  the  ruling  priest' s  visit. 
The  entire  village  was  apprised  of  this  visit,  and  the 
master  of  each  lodge  was  expected  to  be  prepared  for 
this  annual  rite.  Preliminary  to  the  visit,  his  lodge 
fire  was  carefully  put  out  and  ashes  scattered  about  it, 
as  a  symbolic  sign  of  desolation  and  want.  Deprived 
of  this  element,  they  were  also  deprived  of  its  symbolic 
influence,  the  sustaining  aid  and  countenance  of  the  Su 
preme  Power,  whose  image  they  recognized  in  the  sun." 

"It  was  to  relieve  this  want,  and  excite  hope  and 
animation  in  breasts  which  had  throbbed  with  dread, 
that  the  priest  visited  the  lodge.  Exhibiting  the  insig 
nia  of  the  sacerdotal  office,  he  proceeded  to  invoke  the 
Master  of  Life  in  their  behalf,  and  ended  his  visit  by 
striking  fire  from  the  flint,  or  from  percussion,  and 
lighting  anew  the  domestic  fire.  The  lodge  was  then 
swept  and  garnished  anew,  and  a  feast  succeeded. 
This  sacred  service  annually  performed,  had  the  effect 
to  fix  and  increase  the  reverence  of  the  people  for  the 
priestly  office.  It  acted  as  a  renewal  of  their  ecclesias 
tical  fealty;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  the  institu 
tion  of  the  priesthood  was  deeply  and  firmly  seated. ' ' 

THK    INDIAN   YEAR 

' '  Whether  this  rite  had  any  connection  with  the  pe 
riod  of  the  solstices,  or  with  the  commencement  of  the 
lunar  year,  is  not  known,  but  is  highly  probable.  Their 
year  was  the  lunar  year.  It  consisted  of  thirteen  moons, 
each  of  which  is  distinctly  named.  Thirteen  moons  of 
28  days  each,  counting  from  visible  phase  to  phase, 
make  a  year  of  364  days,  which  is  the  greatest  astro 
nomical  accuracy  reached  by  the  North  American 
tribes." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   ONEIDA   STONE 

THE  following  excellent  account  of  the  historical 
Oneida  Stone  was  kindly  furnished  by  the  Rev.  George 
Hardy,  of  Sanquoit,  N.  Y, 

Near  the  entrance  of  Forest  Hill  Cemetery,  Utica,  on 
a  slight  artificial  mound,  is  a  roundish,  oblong  boulder 
of   gray    syenite,    known  as  the  Oneida  Stone.     It  was 
an  object  of  special  veneration  to  the    Indians   of    New 
York,    and  especially  to  the  Oneidas,  the  second  of  the 
tribes  of  the   Iroquois    Confederacy.       Indeed   it  gave 
name  to  this  tribe,  and  through  them  to  many  localities 
in  the  State  and  elsewhere.      The   story   of   the   Stone 
contains   much   of   legend   mixed  with  certain  facts  of 
veritable  history.     We  will  make  no  attempt  to   disen 
tangle   these,    but  give  the  story  as  accepted  by  the  In 
dians.     In  the  Oneida  speech,  onia   is  stone;    oniota    is 
child   of   the   stone,    or  man  of  the  stone.     By  mispro 
nunciation  this  became  Oneida.     The  stone  was   heav 
en  sent,  a  token  of  the  presence  of  the  Great  Spirit.    It 
was  given  to  the  tribe  at  its  very  beginning,  on  the    Os- 
wego  River,  near  Oneida  Lake.   To  them  it  was  sacred, 
and  became  central  in  their  religious  and  social  life.     It 
was  their  alter  of  sacrifice.     Around  it   were   held   the 
feasts   of    New    Year    and  harvest,  and  other  festivals. 
Beside  it  were  their  war  diners  and    council  fires.       It 
added    solemn    sanction   to   their  treaties  and  other  en 
gagements.     Later,  when  the  headquarters  of  the  tribe 
were  removed  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  lake  near  where 
it  receives  the  waters  of  Oneida  Creek,    the   Stone   ac 
companied   them,    untouched   by  human  hands.     The 
same  thing   occurred  at  a  subsequent   removal    up   th: 


Tin:  oXi-iDA  STONE  37 

creek, — the  stcne  taking  position  on  a  hill  on  the  east 
ern  side,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  in 
Madison  Co.  Here  it  remained  during  the  subsequent 
history  of  its  people.  It  here  saw  the  rise  and  power  of 
the  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations.  It  here  listened 
to  wisdom  and  eloquence  unsurpassed  by  Greek  or 
Roman.  Logan,  the  white  man's  friend  uttered  words 
that  burn.  Sconondoa,  warrior- chief  and  last  orator  of 
his  race,  swayed  the  hearts  of  his  fellow  tribesmen. 
This  was  the  resting  place  of  the  stone  when  the  white 
man  appeared  in  the  land,  and  the  red  skinned  children 
of  the  Great  Spirit  began  to  give  way  before  him.  It 
saw  the  hunting  grounds  of  its  people  becoming  the 
corn  fields  of  the  stranger,  their  forest-trails  growing 
into  his  highways  of  traffic,  their  hills  and  valleys  filled 
and  crowned  with  his  settlements.  It  saw  its  people 
themselves  wTaste  away  at  the  stranger's  presence,  their 
council  fires  extinguished,  their  festal  days  unobserved, 
their  sacrifices  unoffered.  It  saw  them  diminished  and 
scattered,  their  tribal  life  lost,  and  their  political  powrer 
forever  gone.  "It  was  a  stranger  in  the  home  of  its 
children,  an  exile  on  its  own  soil."  Awhile  after  the 
opening  of  the  Forest  Hill  Cemetery,  the  Oneida  Stone 
was,  by  glad  consent  of  all  parties  interested,  removed 
to  its  present  location,  there  to  be  cared  for  as  a  memo 
rial  of  a  people  who  showed  many  excellences  of  char 
acter,  and  took  no  insignificant  part  in  some  of  the  ex 
citing  incidents  of  our  nation's  history. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

GAMES 

WE  are  largely  indebted  to  that  excellent  work, 
Morgan's  League  of  the  Iroquois,  for  a  description  of 
the  six  principal  games  of  the  Six  Nations.  These 
were  played  both  at  their  religious  festivals,  and  on 
special  days  set  apart  for  celebration.  Challenges  were 
sent  from  village  to  village,  or  from  tribe  to  tribe,  and 
not  infrequently  from  the  stranger  tribes  or  nations. 
When  these  formal  challenges  were  lacking,  frequent 
ly  a  village  separated  into  two  divisions,  not  unlike 
our  old  fashioned  spelling  schools,  each  division  striv 
ing  for  the  mastery. 

GAMBLING 

Betting  was  common  among  the  Indians,  and  it  was 
not  unusual  for  one  of  them  to   gamble   away    all    the 
property  which  he  might  possess;  "his  tomahawk,    his 
medal,  his  ornaments  and  even  his  blankets. ' ' 
THE    BALL    GAME 

Of  all  tnt,  games  played  by  these  people,  the  ball 
game  was  the  one  most  favored.  The  bat  used  was 
about  five  feet  long  and  looked  not  unlike  a  tennis 
racket  .split  lengthwise.  The  ball  was  made  of  deer 
skin.  There  were  six  or  eight  players  on  each  side. 
The  field  was  about  eighty  rods  across,  with  a  gate  on 
each  side,  which  was  simply  two  upright  poles  about 
three  rods  apart.  One  of  these  gates  belonged  to  each 
party  and  the  contest  was  to  see  which  party  would 
first  carry  the  ball  through  its  own  gate  a  given  num 
ber  of  times.  In  preparing  for  games  of  strength,  skill 
and  endurance,  the  contestant  often  went  through  a 
rigid  course  of  dieting  and  traiuing.  He  entered  the 


GAMES  39 

lists  naked  except  that  he  wore  a  waist  cloth.  The 
players  were  stationed  in  parallel  lines,  each  side  op 
posite  of  its  own  gate.  The  ball  was  dropped  between 
the  two  rows  where  were  stationed  one  player  from 
^ach  side.  These  two  immediately  began  a  contest 
for  the  possession  of  the  ball.  Great  skill  and  dexteri 
ty  was  displayed  until  one  or  the  other  would  succeed 
in  sending  it  into  the  field  among  his  own  party.  Then 
began  a  lively  skirmish  between  the  two  parties  to  see 
which  side  could  first  force  the  ball  through  its  own 
gate.  The  game  often  lasted  the  entire  afternoon,  and 
not  infrequently  was  finished  on  the  succeeding  day. 
If  one  of  the  players  was  injured,  he  left  the  field  and 
his  place  was  filled  with  another  from  his  party.  The 
Indian  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  this  game. 

THE    GAME    OF   JAVELINS 

The  game  of  javelins  did  not  require  the  skill  nor 
the  endurance  that  was  needed  in  playing  ball.  In 
this  there  was  required  a  ring  about  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter,  and  each  player  had  from  three  to  six 
javelins.  The  contending  parties  were  drawn  up  in 
two  separate  lines  facing  each  other.  One  party  rolled 
the  ring  in  front  of  the  other  party  who  threw  their 
javelines  at  it.  If  one  of  the  party  struck  the  ring,  it 
was  set  up  for  a  target  at  the  spot  where  it  was  hit, 
and  each  man  was  required  to  throw  his  javelin  at  it. 
Those  javelins,  which  hit  the  target  thus  thrown,  were 
saved;  these  which  passed  the  target  without  hitting  it 
became  the  property  of  the  other  side  and  were  thrown 
at  the  ring  by  them.  Those  javelins  which  hit  were 
thus  won  and  laid  out  of  the  play,  while  those  which 
missed  went  to  the  rightful  owners.  Then  the  ring 
was  rolled  by  the  other  party,  and  the  foregoing  was 
repeated.  This  was  continued  until  one  side  had  lost 
all  their  javelins,  which  decided  the  contest. 


40  THE  IROQUUlS 

THE    GAME    OF   DEER    BUTTONS 

The  game  of  deer  buttons  was  a  fireside  game  and 
was  played  with  eight  buttons  about  an  inch  in  diame 
ter  made  of  elk  horn,  and  were  blackened  upon  one 
side.  The  players  seated  themselves  upon  a  blanket 
spread  out  for  the  purposed  Near  them  was  a  certain 
number  of  beans  piled  upon  the  floor.  One  of  the 
players  would  take  the  eight  buttons  in  his  hand, 
shake  them,  and  throw  them  on  the  blanket.  If  all 
turned  up  the  same  color,  the  player  took  twenty  beans 
from  the  pile,  if  six  turned  up  of  the  same  color,  he 
took  two  beans;  if  seven,  he  took  four.  He  continued 
to  throw  so  long  as  not  less  than  six  of  the  same  color 
turned  up,  when  the  throw  passed  to  the  other  player. 
Thus  they  continued  till  the  beans  were  in  the  posses 
sion  of  the  two  players,  after  which  the  loser  was 
obliged  to  pay  forfeit  from  his  own  stock  till  one  man 
won  them  all.  Any  number  could  play  this  game  at 
the  same  time,  but  each  one  had  to  give  up  two,  four 
or  twenty  beans  for  each  lucky  throw  of  the  opposing 
side. 

THE    GAME    OF   SNOWSNAKES 

The  game  of  snowsnakes  was  played  only  in  the 
winter  season.  The  snakes  were  carefully  made  of  the 
toughest  hickory  and  were  about  one  fourth  of  an  inch 
thick  and  in  width  tapered  from  one  inch  at  the  head 
to  half  an  inch  at  the  foot,  and  were  six  or  seven  feet 
in  length.  The  head  was  round  and  turned  up  like  a 
sleigh  runner,  and  was  tipped  with  lead.  These  were 
played  by  skillfully  throwing  them  so  that  they  would 
run  or  slide  a  great  distance  over  the  frozen  snow. 
The  number  of  players  was  limited  and  selected  with 
the  greatest  care.  After  the  place  had  been  selected 
and  the  direction  determined,  the  snakes  were  thrown 
by  the  contending  parties.  That  snake  which  ran  the 
greatest  distance  was  a  point  for  the  side  to  which  it 


GAMES  41 

belonged.     These  contests  were  repeated  till    one   side 
had  won  the  necessary  number  of  points. 

THE    BOW    AND    ARROW 

"In  archery  the  Indian  has  scarcely  been  excelled. 
With  a  quick  eye  and  a  powerful  muscle,  he  could  send 
his  arrow  as  unerringly  as  the  archers  of  Robin  Hood." 
To  be  the  best  marksman  in  the  tribe  wras  considered 
a  great  honor.  The  bow  was  three  or  four  feet  in 
length  and  very  strong,  so  that  when  the  string  was 
well  drawn  back  it  sent  an  arrow  with  great  swiftness. 
It  required  the  greatest  muscular  strength  to  use  such 
a  weapon.  The  arrow  was  about  three  feet  long, 
pointed  with  flint  or  other  hard  substance,  and  at  its 
small  end  were  fastened  feathers  in  a  spiral  form  which 
caused  it  to  revolve.  This  gave  it  a  horizontal  direc 
tion  and  may  have  been  what  suggested  the  grooved 
rifle  barrel.  Morgan  tells  ns  that  the  Scottish  and 
English  archers  tipped  their  arrows  with  straight 
feathers. 

LEAPING    AND    WRESTLING 

He  further  says  that  leaping,  wrestling  and  other 
gymnastic  exercises  appeared  to  be  no  part  of  their 
public  amusement.  Very  often  in  hand  to  hand  con 
tests  the  white  man  exhibited  more  skill  in  boxing 
and  could  throw  his  Indian  opponent,  but  could  not 
keep  him  down  when  thrown. 

THE  FOOT  RACE 

There  was  one  exercise  in  which  the  Indian  greatly 
excelled,  viz:  the  foot  race.  Situated  as  the  six  na 
tions  were  they  needed  runners  to  carry  messages 
from  nation  to  nation  and  it  was  a  matter  of  national 
pride  to  have  the  swiftest  runner.  There  grew  up  a 
spirit  of  emmulation  which  resulted  in  regular  contests. 
The  competitors  often  went  through  a  course  of  train 
ing  and  dieting  as  the  more  civilized  athlete  does  to-day. 


42  THE  IROQUOIS 

THE  PEACH  STONE  GAME 

From  ancient  times  it  was  customary  to  close  the 
Green  Corn  and  Harvest  festivals  and  the  New  Year's 
jubilee  with  the  Peach  Stone  game.  So  much  did 
they  admire  this  game  that  they  believed  they  would 
enjoy  it  in  the  future  life  in  the  realm  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  Six  peach  stones,  which  had  been  ground 
down  so  that  the  pit  could  be  removed,  were  blacken 
ed  upon  one  side.  These  were  thrwon  into  a  wooden 
or  earthern  dish  and  the  count  depended  upon  the 
number  of  one  kind  that  came  up  similar  to  the  game 
of  deer  buttons  already  explained  except  that  nothing 
less  than  five  of  a  kind  counted  instead  of  six.  It 
often  took  the  greater  part  of  two  days  to  play  this 
game,  and  simple  as  it  may  seem,  it  usually  produced 
great  excitement  throughout  the  tribes  whose  represen 
tatives  were  engaged.  I  quote  again  from  Morgan. 
"Among  the  Iroquois,  in  the  celebration  of  their 
national  games,  as  far  as  they  went,  is  to  be  found  the 
same  species  of  enthusiasm  and  emulation  which 
characterized  the  celebration  of  the  games  of  antiquity. 
Although  the  national  games,  like  the  popular  songs 
of  one  people,  may  be  incapable  of  exciting  the  en 
thusiasm  or  awakening  the  patriotic  spirit  of  another; 
yet  they  are  not,  for  this  reason,  devoid  of  interest. 
If  it  be  asked  what  interest  for  us  can  attach  to  these 
games  of  the  Iroquois,  one  answer  at  least  may  be 
given: — they  show  that  the  American  wilderness, 
which  we  have  been  taught  to  pronounce  a  savage  soli 
tude  until  the  white  men  entered  its  borders,  had  long 
been  vocal  in  its  deepest  seclusions,  with  the  gladness 
of  human  hearts. ' ' 


CHAPTER  IX 

EARLY  EXPLORERS 

WHEN  Cartier  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  he  found 
a  large  village  occupying  the  present  site  of  Montreal 
surrounded  with  crops  of  waving  corn.  It  was  occu 
pied  by  a  tribe  of  Indians  which  the  French  named 
the  Iroquois.  They  treated  the  white  men  with  great 
reverence,  as  if  they  were  divine,  even  bringing  their 
sick  and  laying  them  before  the  French  that  their 
presence  might  heal  them.  Cartier,  returning  to  Que 
bec,  betrayed  the  confidence  of  the  natives  by  forcing 
their  head  chief  and  several  of  his  followers  on  board 
and  taking  them  to  France  where  they  died.  Four 
years  later  he  returned  and  attempted  to  plant  a 
colony.  But  the  Indians,  remembering  Carder's 
former  conduct,  lost  faith  in  the  white  man  and  his 
black  robed  priests,  and  consequently  did  not  show 
their  former  kindness.  The  French  leader  became 
discouraged  and  set  sail  for  France.  About  the  same 
time  Roberval  attempted  to  establish  a  colony  on  the 
same  site,  but  being  unfitted  by  nature  for  a  leader  of 
men  his  attempt  resulted  in  failure  and  for  nearly 
seventy  years  the  St.  Dawrence  furnished  music  for 
none  but  savage  ears.  [Doyle's  English  Colonies  in 
America.] 

CHAMPLAIN 

The  French  were  the  first  Europeans  to  intrude 
upon  the  domain  of  the  Iroquois.  It  was  given  to 
Samuel  DeChamplain  to  carry  his  faith  and  his  nation 
ality  into  the  heart  of  the  territory  of  the  amphictyonic 
league,  and  by  so  doing  he  forever  ruined  all  pros 
pects  of  winning  the  haughty  Iroquois  and  his  land 


44  THE  IROQUOIS 

for  the  French  crown.  He  was  a  French  soldier 
anxious  to  build  a  great  empire  in  the  New  World. 
Nearly  seventy  years  after  Roberval  left  Quebec,  Cham- 
plain  and  DeMonts  re-established  a  colony  at  that 
place.  They  gained  the  good  will  of  the  surrounding 
red  men,  and  the  war  trained  Frenchman,  Champlain, 
could  not  resist  the  entreaties  of  the  Hurons  to  aid 
them  in  their  expeditions  against  their  powerful 
enemies,  the  Iroquois,  They  ascended  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Champlain  on  the  west  bank  of  which  they  en 
countered  a  large  force  of  the  Iroquois.  [Golden.]  Cham- 
plain  placed  himself  at  the  head  and  shot  down  three  of 
the  enemy,  who  were  astonished  beyond  measure  at  the 
sound  of  the  white  man's  gun.  The  Hurons  seeing 
the  disorder  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  rushed  forward 
and  gained  a  signal  victory.  The  place  of  this  battle 
was  at  or  near  Ticonderoga  in  Essex  county,  a  place 
destined  to  be  the  scene  of  many  a  skirmish  in  after 
years.  Such  was  the  Iroquois'  introduction  to  the 
Frenchmen,  one  which  they  never  forgot  and  never 
wholly  forgave.  The  echoes  of  Champlain 's  guns  did 
not  cease  to  reverberate  till  they  died  away  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  Had  he  come  among  them  as  did 
Penn  among  the  Delawares  several  years  later,  French. 
History  on  American  soil  would  have  been  much  dif 
ferent  from  what  it  was.  The  year  following  Cham- 
plain  gained  another  victory  over  them  on  the  river 
Sorel.  In  the  Autumn  of  this  same  year  still  anxious 
to  press  his  conquests  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence  he 
again  lead  the  Hurons  against  their  ancient  enemies. 
He  crossed  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario  and  coasted 
along  its  eastern  shore  for  many  miles.  At  some  point 
within  the  present  limits  of  Jefferson  county  they  hid 
their  canoes  and  marched  overland  to  Oneida  Lake. 
South  of  this,  perhaps  in  Madison  county,  they  found  a 
fort,  strongly  palisaded  surrounded  by  ditches  so  that 


EARLY  EXPLORERS  45 

they  could  neither  take  the  place  by  storm  nor  set  it 
on  fire.  Champlain  was  wounded  and  was  compelled 
to  retreat  from  the  country  followed  for  many  miles 
by  the  infuriated  barbarians.  This  ended  Champlain' s 
work  in  the  present  limits  of  New  York  south  of  the 
great  river;  and  by  his  policy  the  Anglo  Saxons  aided 
by  the  powerful  Six  Nations  eventually  became  the 
dominant  race. 

THE  DUTCH  AND  THE  IROQUOIS 

111  the  fall  of  1609  Henry  Hudson  sailed  up  the 
great  North  River.  About  five  years  later  the  Dutch 
established  a  trading  post  just  south  of  the  present  site 
of  Albany.  Thither  flocked  the  Indians  with  furs  to 
exchange  for  articles  which  the  white  man  had  to  sell. 
At  the  same  time  the  French  were  trying  to  secure  the 
trade  with  the  tribes  in  this  part  of  the  country  and 
came  up  Lake  Champlain  i:i  boats  for  that  purpose. 
Thus  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  French  and 
the  Dutch  became  commercial  rivals  in  the  New  World. 
After  a  short  time  this  trading  post  was  abandoned 
and  in  1617  a  fort  was  erected  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Tawasentha.  The  Dutchmen  with  an  eye  to  business 
formed  a  treaty  with  the  surrounding  Indian  tribes, 
perhaps  the  first  ever  made  with  the  red  men.  The 
Iroquois  were  leaders  in  bringing  about  this  treaty  of 
peace  while  the  other  tribes  were  considered  as  their 
subjects.  They  buried  the  tomahawk  and  the  white 
men  promised  to  erect  a  church  over  the  place  as  a  sign 
of  perpetual  peace.  These  traders  builded  with  the 
Indians  better  than  they  knew.  The  treaty  of  Tawa 
sentha  lasted  as  long  as  the  Dutch  held  possession  of 
the  country,  and  did  much  to  hold  the  friendship  of 
the  great  barbaric  league.  The  cqntrast  between  the 
treatment  accorded  the  Iroquois  by  Champlain  and  the 
treatment  by  the  Dutch  was  so  great  that  the  latter 
had  the  confidence  of  these  tribes  and  could  depend 


46  THE  IROQUOIS 

upon  their  alliance.  They  respected  the  rights  of  the 
Indians,  paid  for  the  lands  which  they  occupied  and 
in  their  dealings  were  influenced  by  rules  of  justice 
and  equity.  They  were  not  zealots,  neither  did  they 
come  to  conquer  the  country  and  form  a  great  empire 
in  the  New  World.  They  were  largely  traders  and 
encouraged  peace  with  their  savage  neighbors  as  the 
surest  road  to  money  getting. 

Early  in  the  history  of  Fort  Orange  an  incident  oc- 
cured  which  might  nave  created  hard  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  Mohawks.  A  party  of  Mohicans  on  their 
way  to  attack  their  ancient  enemies,  the  Mohawks,  in 
duced  a  few  Dutchmen  to  join  them.  The  Mohawks 
gained  a  signal  victory  and  the  Dutch  leader  and  three 
of  his  men  lost  their  lives.  The  Mohawks  claimed  to 
have  acted  on  the  defensive,  so  the  Dutch  wisely  let 
the  matter  drop.  Shortly  after  this  the  Mohicans  were 
driven  from  their  beautiful  hunting  grounds  on  the 
Hudson  by  their  ancient  enemies.  All  the  river 
Indians  were  subject  to  the  Mohawks  and  in  the  winter 
of  1643  a  large  party  of  them  marched  down  the  west 
bank  of  the  Hudson  to  collect  tribute  from  the  tribes 
living  there.  These  fled  in  terror  and  sought  refuge 
with  the  Dutch  in  and  around  Manhattan.  Had  Kieft 
pursued  a  course  dictated  by  reason  and  humanity  he 
would  have  befriended  them  and  won  their  lasting  re 
gard.  But  he  gave  orders  to  have  them  cruelly  massa 
cred.  This  aroused  all  the  surrounding  tribes  who 
started  upon  the  war  path  destroying  whole  villages 
spreading  terror  and  destruction  wherever  they  went. 
This  state  of  things  continued  nearly  two  years  when 
the  governor  made  treaties  with  several  of  the  tribes 
even  going  with  much  pomp  to  the  land  of  the  Mo 
hawks.  They  made  a  preliminary  treaty  with  him  at 
Fort  Orange  afterward  confirmed  by  a  large  gathering 
of  Indians  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  at  which  time  a  party 


EARLY  EXPLORERS  47 

of  Mohawks  came  as  arbitrators  for  the  Five  Nations. 
Stuyvesant  as  Governor  renewed  friendly  alliances 
with  the  powerful  Mohawks.  Indeed  so  often  did  this 
nation  act  as  arbitrators  between  the  Dutch  and  River 
Indians  that  great  jealousy  was  aroused  on  the  part  of 
the  latter.  In  1661  Arendt  van  Curler  was  sent  to 
purchase  the  "Great  Flats"  where  Schenectady  now 
stands.  Nearly  twenty  years  before  he  had  penetrated 
far  into  the  country  of  the  Mohawks.  In  all  of  the 
years  that  he  had  dealings  with  the  western  Indians 
he  treated  them  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  to  him 
more  than  to  any  other  man  was  due  the  peaceful 
settlement  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  In  1667  he  was 
drowned  in  Lake  Champlain,  the  crystal  clearness  of 
whose  waters  is  a  type  of  his  dealings  with  the  un 
fortunate  red  men. 


CHAPTER  X 

RELATIONS  WITH  OTHER  TRIBES 

AFTER  the  destruction  of  the  Pequots  on  the  Mystic 
river,  Sassacus,  knowing  that  the  English  would  soon 
attack  his  tribe,  determined  to  march  westward  and 
throw  himself  on  the  mercies  of  the  Mohawks.  He 
did  not  seem  to  understand  the  fierceness  of  this  tribe, 
for  as  soon  as  they  saw  him  they  cruelly  shot  him. 
'The  handful  of  his  followers  who  escaped  the  English 
were  finally  assigned  lands  by  the  Mohawks  near  Lake 
Champlain. 

THE  ERiES 

About  1643,  according  to  Schoolcraft,  the  Senecas 
aided  by  some  of  the  other  members  of  the  confederacy, 
began  a  war  with  the  Eries  and  their  allies,  the  an- 
dastes.  These  Indians  lived  near  Lake  Erie  and  were 
known  to  the  French  as  the  Neuter  Indians.  They 
were  given  this  name  because  they  kept  aloof  from  all 
the  wars  of  the  surrounding  tribes.  Cusic,  the  Indian 
historian,  says  "That  del-gates  from  a  northern  nation, 
with  whom  the  Iroquois  were  at  war,  having  been  re 
ceived  by  the  Eries,  Yagowanea,  the  female  ruler  of 
the  tribe,  at  Kienuka,  on  the  Niagara  Ridge  betrayed 
the  Seneca  deputation  to  their  concealed  enemies  from 
the  North,  by  whom  they  were  killed."  This  was  in 
violation  of  their  neutrality  and  the  Iroquois  flew  to 
arms.  The  war  was  short  and  bloody.  There  could 
be  but  one  outcome.  The  Six  Nations  so  long  accus 
tomed  to  wage  war  successfully  with  large  and  power 
ful  tribes  soon  conquered  the  Eries,  and  as  a  nation 
they  disappeared  from  history.  Mr.  P^vanswho  wrote 
in  1755  says  those  who  survived  fled  to  the  valley  of 
the  Ohio  and  later  still  crossed  the  Alleghanies. 


RELATIONS  WITH  OTHER  TRIBES  49 

THE    HURONS 

After  the  Hurons  had  united  with  the  French,  the 
Iroquois  became  their  most  bitter  enemies.  The  whole 
•country  from  the  Oswego,  Genessee  and  Niagara  riv 
ers,  even  to  Montreal,  was  covered  with  war  parties. 
Both  of  the  same  race,  they  carried  on  the  fight  with 
the  bitterness  of  a  family  quarrel.  A  journey  of  a 
thousand  miles  was  cheerfully  undertaken  by  an  Iro 
quois  if  only  he  could  glut  his  savage  revenge.  The 
Andastes,  who  could  have  sent  a  band  of  nearly  1.500 
warriors,  offered  to  assist  the  Hurons.  They  refused 
assistance  and  alone  attempted  to  defend  themselves 
and  their  country;  but  by  1647  the  Huron  tribe  was 
brought  to  great  straights  and  were  compelled  to  seek 
shelter  under  the  guns  of  Quebec.  Even  here  they 
were  not  safe  and  were  finally  driven  from  the  valley 
of  the  St  Lawrence  about  the  year  1659.  They  fled 
up  the  great  Ottowas  river  and  across  to  the  Mani- 
toulin  chain  of  islands.  But  the  merciless  Iroquois 
would  give  them  no  peace  and  they  sought  refuge  on 
the  shores  of  Lake  Superior.  Here  again  they  were 
attacked  by  their  relentless  enemies  and  a  great  many 
of  them  cruelly  massacred.  This  place  is  still  known 
as  Point  Iroquois. 

THE     ANDASTES 

In  1 66 1  the  Senecas  began  to  carry  on  a  desultory 
warfare  with  the  Andastes.  The  latter  gained  a  few 
small  victories  when  the  Seriecas  raised  an  army  of 
i, 600  warriors  and  marched  into  their  country  and  be- 
seiged  a  small  fort.  The  Andastes  held  out  bravely  and 
at  last,  sallying  out,  they  drove  the  Senecas  in  headlong 
flight.  This  victory  earned  them  not  a  small  amount 
of  fame,  and  caused  some  of  them,  harassed  by  their 
incursions,  to  move  north  of  Lake  Ontario.  But  from 
this  time  their  power  began  to  wane.  Prisoners  were 
taken  sometimes  by  one  Iroquois  tribe  and  sometimes 


50  THE  IROQUOIS 

by  another.  Schoolcraft  relates  that  a  party  of  60 
Andastes  boys  engaged  a  party  of  Senecas  and  put 
them  to  flight.  But  by  the  year  1675  they  had  been 
subdued  by  the  Iroquois. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    IROQUOIS   AND   THE   ENGLISH 

It  was  about  this  time,  1664,  that  the  English  com 
pelled  the  Dutch  to  surrender  their  rights  to  the  pres 
ent  limits  of  New  York.  The  relations  between  the 
Dutch  and  Iroquois  were  very  friendly.  The  sturdy 
Hollander  had  almost  the  entire  trade  with  the  Five 
Nations,  and  had  extended  his  influence  even  beyond 
the  Great  Lakes.  Even  long  after  the  advent  of  the 
English,  he  acted  as  interpreter.  When  the  Iroquois 
learned  that  the  English  had  taken  the  place  of  the 
Dutch,  they  at  once  admitted  them  into  their  confi 
dence,  and  the  English,  on  their  part,  did  their  utmost 
to  preserve  the  friendship  of  this  powerful  confederacy. 
Their  enemies  became  the  enemies  of  the  Iroquois  and 
their  friends,  the  friends  of  the  latter.  The  English 
soon  learned  that  the  French  wished  to  acquire  the 
beautiful  Mohawk  valley  and  if  possible  extend  their 
conquest  to  the  ocean  itself.  The  Six  Nations  were  a 
tower  of  strength  for  the  English  against  the  encroach 
ments  of  the  French.  Schoolcraft  says  "who  can  read 
the  details  of  an  hundred  years'  sanguinary  contests, 
without  perceiving  that  it  was  the  undying  vigilance, 
the  unerring  accuracy  of  their  geographical  knowledge 
of  the  wilderness,  and  the  manly  bravery  of  the  Iro 
quois,  which,  up  to  the  year  1775,  preserved  western 
New  York  to  the  English  crown?" 

Champlain  had  furnished  neighboring  tribes  with 
guns,  powder  and  knives  which  they  used  in  their 
wars  against  the  Iroquois.  When  the  Dutch  came 
they  could  secure  these  coveted  weapons  and  soon  be 
came  a  terror  not  only  to  the  surrounding  tribes,  but 


52  THE  IROQUOIS 

to  the  French  themselves.  They  successfully  repelled 
the  invasions  of  La  Barre,  Denonville  and  Frontenac, 
and  for  a  long  time  resisted  the  establishment  of  French 
missions  at  Oneida,  Onondaga  and  Ontario.  The  in 
troduction  of  fire  arms  entirely  changed  the  Indian 
mode  of  fighting.  They  took  longer  and  more  fre 
quent  excursions,  and  no  tribe  was  able  to  withstand 
them;  while  the  council  fire  at  Onondaga  burned 
brighter  than  ever  before.  The  English  early  estab 
lished  an  agency  among  the  Mohawks  which,  by  a 
slow  growth,  in  time  fully  protected  English  interests. 

FRENCH    IN   THE    MOHAWK   VALLEY 

In  1665  Concelles,  governor  of  Canada,  sent  a  party 
against  the  Mohawks.  They  travelled  on  snow  shoes 
suffering  greatly  from  the  cold.  They  got  as  far  as 
Schenectady  where  the  Indians  would  have  defeated 
them  had  it  not  been  for  the  hospitality  of  Corlear  who 
had  great  influence  with  the  Mohawks.  The  next 
spring,  twelve  light  companies  of  foot,  and  the  whole 
militia  of  Canada  marched  into  the  country  of  the  Mo 
hawks,  who  retired  into  the  forests  on  the  approach  of 
the  enemy.  Although  the  French  were  unable  to  sub 
due  the  Mohawks,  yet  through  a  great  parade  of 
strength  and  the  Indian's  fear  of  fire  arms,  a  peace 
was  concluded  in  1667  which  lasted  several  years.  The 
French  governor  improved  this  cessation  of  hostilities 
by  sending  out  missionaries,  building  forts  and  estab 
lishing  trading  posts.  In  1672  he  penetrated  as  far  as 
Oneida  Lake  where  he  started  to  build  a  fort,  which 
Count  Frontenac  completed  the  following  year. 

SIR    WILLIAM   JOHNSON 

Sir  William  Johnson,  on  being  appointed  superin 
tendent  of  Indian  affairs,  assembled  a  very  large  num 
ber  of  Indians  at  his  place  on  the  Mohawk  and  an 
nounced  his  appointment  to  them.  Pie  made  offers  to 
them  to  restore  their  confidence  in  the  English  and  to 


THE  IROQUOIS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  53 

counteract  French  influence.  He  eloquently  plead 
with  them  to  send  their  warriors  on  Braddock's  expe 
dition.  They  promptly  told  him  that  the  governor  of 
Virginia  had  occupied  their  lands  in  the  Ohio  valley 
and  so  they  would  not  assist  him.  However  they 
agreed  to  remain  neutral.  They  also  declined  to  ac 
company  Shirley  in  his  expedition  to  Osvvego.  But 
they  promptly  sent  a  large  body  of  warriors  to  meet 
Deiskau  at  Crown  Point  where  they  fought  with  great 
bravery  losing  their  leader,  King  Hendrick. 

Johnson's  victory,  which  was  really  earned  by  Lv- 
man,  at  Crown  Point,  was  the  turning  point  in  the  as 
cendency  of  the  British  influence  with  the  Iroquois  and 
their  allies,  which  had  been  at  a  very  low  ebb  at  the 
commencement  of  the  French  war.  The  unearned 
fame  which  Johnson  acquired  raised  him  greatly  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Iroquois.  The  triumph  at  Lake 
George,  in  which  King  Hendrick  lost  his  life,  presaged 
events  soon  to  transpire.  England,  advised  by  such 
men  as  Johnson,  clearly  saw  that  whoever  conquered 
would  control  the  Indians,  and  she  prepared  for  a  great 
struggle.  In  a  very  general  council,  convened  at  his 
hall,  April  19,  1767,  Johnson  made  a  long  speech  to 
the  representatives  not  only  of  the  Iroquois  but  many 
other  Indians.  He  attempted  to  prove  to  them  that 
the  French  were  deceiving  the  Indians  and  would  not 
keep  their  promises,  but  that  if  they  held  with  the  En 
glish,  their  lands  and  their  lodges  would  be  protected. 
Said  he,  "Tell  them,  from  me,  to  look  at  the  French 
forts,  built  and  building  through  the  middle  of  their 
country,  and  on  their  best  building  lands.  Let  them 
look  at  French  flags,  flying  in  their  forts  at  all  the  great 
lakes,  along  the  great  rivers,  in  order  to  oblige  them 
to  trade  with  the  French  only,  and  sell  their  skins, 
and  take  goods  from  them  at  what  prices  the  French 
may  please  to  put  on  them.  And  it  is  a  thing  well 


54  THE  IROQUOIS 

known  to  all  Indians,  that  the  French  cannot  sell  their 
goods  near  as  cheap  as  the  English  can." 

CROWN  POINT 

The  expedition  against  Crown  Point  was  in 
charge  of  General  Wm.  Johnson  with  Colonel  Lyman 
second  in  command.  The  latter  made  all  the  military 
plans  for  Johnson,  and  preceded  him  in  the  hot  sum 
mer  days  to  a  place  about  fifty  miles  from  Albany,  the 
:great  "carrying  place"  between  Lake  Champlain  and 
Albany.  Here  he  constructed  a  fort  and  named  it 
"Fort  Lyman."  Later  in  the  season  Johnson,  who, 
according  to  Lossing,  had  neither  the  courage  nor  the 
skill  of  a  good  general,  arrived  at  the  place  on  his 
way  to  Crown  Point.  Discouraged  by  Braddock's  de 
feat  and  knowing  that  the  French  were  gaining  a  kind 
ly  interest  on  the  part  of  the  Iroquois,  he  would  have 
given  up  the  expedition  had  it  not  been  for  Lyman. 
He  finally  constructed  a  camp  on  Lake  George  with 
out  entering  it  or  making  proper  fortifications.  Hear 
ing  that  the  woods  to  the  north  were  filled  \vith  French 
and  Indians,  he  sent  Colonel  Williams  with  a  detach 
ment  of  provincials  accompanied  by  King  Hendrick 
with  a  band  of  Mohawk  warriors.  They  all  fell  into 
an  ambuscade  and  Williams  and  Hendrick  and  many 
of  their  followers  were  killed.  Those  who  escaped 
from  the  carnage  fled  to  Johnson's  headquarters.  He 
succeeded  in  felling  a  breastwork  of  trees  and  bringing 
into  action  two  large  guns  which  did  much  to  check 
the  rush  of  the  motley  crowd  of  French  and  Indians. 
Just  at  this  point  Lyman  maK:hed  upon  the  scene 
with  his  small  army  and  took  charge  of  the  battle, 
Johnson  having  retired  with  a  slight  flesh  wound.  The 
battle  raged  furiously  for  several  hours  when  the 
French  commander' received  a  mortal  wound  and  his 
followers  fled  leaving  Lyman  a  victor.  Had  Johnson 
taken  advantage  of  the  panic  in  the  French  army  he 


THE  IROQUOLS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  55 

could  have  captured  Crown  Point  and  perhaps  have 
driven  the  enemy  into  Canada.  We  have  described 
this  action  at  some  length  because  of  the  prominent 
part  taken  by  the  Mohawks  and  the  great  loss  which 
they  sustained  in  the  death  of  their  leader,  Soieugar- 
ahta,  popularly  known  as  "King  Hendrick."  School- 
craft  tells  that  he  was  a  chief  of  high  standing  among 
the  Mohawks,  of  approved  wisdom,  undoubted  tre- 
pidity,  and  a  firm  friend  of  the  English.  He  had  visited 
England,  and  had  been  presented  at  court.  He  united 
great  amenity  of  manners,  dignity  of  bearing,  and 
mild  features,  to  the  most  determined  courage  and  en 
ergy.  The  band  of  warriors  which  he  led  are  said  to 
have  "fought  like  lions."  In  comparing  his  judg 
ment  as  a  general  with  that  of  Johnson's,  it  is  said  that 
when  the  latter  wished  to  send  a  small  company  to 
meet  the  French,  Hendrick  said,  "If  they  are  to  fight 
they  are  too  few;  if  they  are  to  be  killed  they  are  too 
many."  He  easily  stood  in  the  first  rank  of  the  In 
dian  statesmen  of  his  age.  The  following  story  has 
been  handed  down  from  his  time. 

Once  \vhen  visiting  at  Johnson  Hall  he  saw  an  em 
broidered  scarlet  coat,  such  a  one  as  was  frequently 
worn  by  English  officers  of  that  day.  He  became  pos 
sessed  of  a  strong  desire  to  own  it,  which  desire  he 
satisfied  in  the  following  manner  :  One  morning  he 
said  to  Johnson,  "Brother,  me  dream  last  night." 
"Indeed,"  said  Johnson,  "What  did  my  red  brother 
dream?"  "Me  dream  that  coat  be  mine."  Johnson, 
thoroughly  understanding  Indian  nature,  promptly 
said,  "Brother,  the  coat  is  yours."  Some  time  after 
this,  the  Indian  commissioner  made  a  visit  to  King 
Hendrick,  and  one  morning  said  to  him,  "My  red 
brother,  I  dreamed  last  night."  "What  did  my  white 
brother  dream?"  Hendrick  asked.  "I  dreamed,"  re 
plied  the  wily  Johnson,  "that  you  gave  me  this  tract 


56  THE  IROQUUIS 

of  land,"  and  he  described  a  section  of  land  with  cer 
tain  natural  boundaries,  including  about  100,000  acres. 
Hendrick  was  astonished,  hesitated  a  few  moments, 
and  replied,  "The  land  is  yours,  but  do  not  dream 
again."  England  confirmed  the  title,  and  it  was 
known  for  many  years  as  "The  Royal  Grant.''  The 
writer  can  remember  when  the  older  residents  called 
the  present  village  of  Deveraux,  in  Fulton  County,, 
the  "Corner  of  the  Grant." 


CHAPTER  XII 

MISSIONARIES   AMONG   THE    INDIANS 

Courage  has  been  admired  by  all  men  from  the  re 
motest  period,  and  he  is  the  bravest  man  who  resolute 
ly  faces  a  known  danger.  No  braver  set  of  men  ever 
lived  than  those  who  penetrated  the  savage  wilderness 
to  establish  Christian  Missions  for  the  conversion  of 
the  Indians.  Many  of  them  were  cruelly  tor 
tured  and  put  to  death  in  the  most  revolting  and 
shocking  manner.  Yet  their  zeal  never  waned.  They 
were  actuated  by  a  desire  to  spread  Christianity;  all 
French  missionaries  were  anxious  to  extend  French 
influence  and  to  form  a  great  French  empire  in  the 
New  World.  Somewhere  about  the  year  1640  or  1641, 
the  Iroquois  conceived  the  idea  of  making  a  sort  of 
treaty  with  the  French,  but  did  not  wish  to  have  their 
Indian  allies  included  in  the  treaty.  These  terms  were 
promptly  rejected  by  the  French.  The  Iroquois 
quickly  prepared  for  war.  A  large  party  of  them 
captured,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  three  Frenchmen  ac 
companying  several  boat  loads  of  Hurons  to  the  Huron 
Country.  Many  of  the  Christian  Indians  were  killed 
and  a  few  taken  prisoners.  One  of  the  captives  was 
an  Indian  maiden  who,  tradition  says,  married  a  Mo 
hawk  chief  and  was  long  remembered  for  her  virtues 
and  intelligence.  She  exerted  a  marked  influenc'^ 
among  the  Mohawks,  and  many  interesting  stories  are 
told  concerning  her  goodness.  The  three  Frenchmen 
were  led  from  town  to  town  along  the  Mohawk  river 
for  a  week  or  more.  Their  finger  nails  were  torn  off, 
and  pieces  of  flesh  were  cut  from  their  backs.  They 
were  made  to  run  the  gauntlet,  and  then  they  were 


58  THE  IROQUOIS 

tied  to  stakes  while  the  children  and  youths  amused 
themselves  by  throwing  live  coals  upon  them.  At  last 
one  of  them  was  killed,  and  a  second  who  had  shown 
great  bravery  was  adopted  iuto  the  tribe.  The  third 
Frenchman,  who  was  no  other  than  Isaac  Jogues,  the 
accomplished  scholar  and  zealous  priest,  was  retained 
by  them  and  became  a  missionary  to  these  barbarians. 
The  customs  of  the  Mohawks  were  revolting  to  a  man 
of  such  a  refined  nature.  He  saw  captives  burned  at 
the  stake  and  their  flesh  eaten.  Van  Curler,  who  was 
at  this  time  a  Dutch  Commissary,  hearing  of  the  treat 
ment  that  Jogues  was  receiving,  made  a  journey  into 
the  country  of  the  Mohawks.  The  Indians  received 
him  kindly,  but  would  not  accept  his  offers  for  the  re 
lease  of  the  missionary.  Later,  on  an  expedition  to 
Fort  Orange,  he  made  his  escape  and  was  befriended 
by  the  great  Dutch  preacher,  Rev.  Megapolensis. 
Money  was  donated  so  that  he  was  able  to  return  to 
his  native  country  where  he  was  received  with  signal 
marks  of  honor. 

After  some  time  he  returned  to  this  country  and 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  peace  agent  between  the  Can 
adian  French  and  the  Iroquois.  His  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  character  made  him  fairly  successful  on  this 
journey.  Some  time  after  this  he  returned  to  found  a 
mission  among  the  Iroquois,  but  in  some  manner  while 
he  had  been  away  from  the  Indians,  they  had  acquir 
ed  a  superstitious  fear  of  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  made 
his  appearance  among  them,  he  and  his  companions 
were  cruelly  tortured  and  put  to  death. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE     REVOLUTION 

When  we  consider  that  the  colonies  were  surrounded 
by  hostile  tribes  of  Indians  numbering  many  thousands 
of  souls,  nearly  all  under  the  influence  of  the  British 
who  had  been  fifteen  years  winning  the  affections  of  the 
tribes  from  the  French;  the  cruelty  of  savage  warfare; 
the  great  resources  of  the  mother  country  on  land  and 
sea;  we  are  astonished  at  the  courage  of  our  forefathers 
in  attempting  to  cut  loose  from  England.  To  cope 
with  the  ablest  generals  that  a  powerful  nation  could 
send,  required  a  skill  in  war  unheard  of  on  the  part  of 
young  and  undeveloped  colonies.  But  at  the  same  time 
to  cope  with  an  unknown  number  of  barbarians  insti 
gated  and  often  led  by  still  more  savage  white  men  was 
an  undertaking  frought  with  the  greatest  danger.  The 
colonists  went  into  the  struggle  with  the  warwhoop  ring 
ing  in  their  ears,  and  visions  of  midnight  massacres  be 
fore  their  eyes.  Schoolcraft  estimates  that  the  English 
employed  770  warriors  in  this  sanquinary  struggle, 
whose  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives  were  employed 
on  the  frontiers  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  Vir 
ginia.  It  has  been  fully  established  that  a  bounty  had 
been  placed  upon  the  scalps  of  the  settlers,  to  incite 
the  savage  desires  of  an  ever  vengeful  foe.  It  was 
only  through  war  that  the  Indian  character  could  de 
velop  and  the  Indian  could  win  renown.  He  longed 
for  war  as  the  highway  to  glory.  On  the  one  hand 
British  emissaries  represented  that  the  war  was  com 
menced  by  the  colonists,  a  case  of  son  against  father, 
and  that  there  could  be  but  one  outcome — for  how 
could  a  few  colonists  cope  with  so  powerful  a  nation? 


60  THE  IROQUOIS 

On  the  other  hand  the  Americans  represented  that  the  Six 
Nations  had  no  part  in  the  quarrel  and  should  remain 
neutral,  and  then  it  would  matter  not  which  party 
might  win,  their  lands  wTouldbe  safe.  But  the  Indian's 
horizon,  bounded  only  by  his  tribal  relations,  could  not 
understand  the  rights  and  justice  of  nations.  He  loved 
war,  and  treacherous  by  nature,  he  preferred  always  to 
be  on  the  winning  side.  He  feared  also  that  if  the 
Americans  should  win  he  would  lose  his  hunting 
grounds  by  the  onward  movement  of  the  settlers.  Al 
ready  the  fur  bearing  animals  were  growing  scarce  or 
disappearing  altogether.  Great  sections  of  their  land, 
the  home  of  their  forefathers,  had  been  bargained  away 
by  their  chiefs  for  a  few  paltry  trinkets.  It  was  natur 
al  that  the  Indian  would  seek  vengeance  on  those  whom 
he  found  occupying  these  lands.  And  it  seemed  the 
weaker  and  more  helpless  the  victim,  the  greater  the 
cruelty  displayed  by  Indian  nature.  In  the  face  of  all 
these  difficulties  how  could  the  colonists  hope  to  win 
over  the  Six  Nations  to  neutrality?  And  yet  their  ef 
forts  met  with  partial  success.  In  Schoolcraft's  His 
tory  of  the  Indian  Tribes  we  read  that '  'The  Mohicans, 
of  Stockbridge,  ranged  themselves  on  the  side  of  the 
Americans,  and  performed  good  service  as  scouts 
throughout  the  contest.  The  Oneidas  did  the  same. 
The  voice  of  the  popular  chief,  Skenandoah,  was  heard 
in  favor  of  the  rising  colonies;  and  the  watchful  and 
quick  eye  of  Attatea,  known  as  Colonel  Louis,  carefully 
noted  the  approach  of  evil  footsteps  during  the  great 
struggle  of  1777,.  an^  gave  every  day  the  most  reliable 
information  of  the  march  and  position  of  the  enemy. ' ' 
To  the  foregoing  might  be  added  at  least  a  part  of  the 
Tuscaroras,  who  were  influenced  by  the  Rev.  Kirkland, 
a  resident  for  many  years  among  the  Oneidas,  and  one 
small  clan  of  the  Mohawks  at  the  lower  castle.  All 
the  rest  of  the  Six  Nations  aided  the  English.  Their 


THE  REVOLUTION  61 

military  skill  and  their  knowledge  of  the  country  allied 
with  great  native  cunning  and  treachery  made  them  the 
most  dreaded  foe  with  which  the  Americans  ever  con 
tended.  Circumstances  brought  the  Iroquois  under 
that  very  capable  guerilla  leader,  Thyendanagea,  better 
known  as  Joseph  Brant,  who  had  been  brought  up  un 
der  the  direction  of  Sir  \Vm.  Johnson.  Schoolcraft 
says  "he  hated  the  Americans  as  Attila  did  the  Ro 
mans." 

Sir  Win.  Johnson  died  suddenly  in  1774  at  just  the 
time  he  wras  so  much  needed  by  the  English  in  shap 
ing  the  Indian  policy  to  the  advantage  of  the  mother 
country.  "He  disappeared  from  the  scene  of  action 
at  a  critical  period,  when,  to  employ  an  Indian  alle 
gory,  two  thunder  clouds,  black  with  anger,  seemed 
rushing  into  conflict,  leaving  no  one  of  sufficient  ca 
pacity  to  cope  with  or  control  the  storm.  Great 
Britain  had  lavished  on  him  the  highest  honors,  and 
he  was  held  in  the  highest  respect  by  the  Indians." 
Continuing,  Schoolcraft  says,  ;  'Those  who  have  inves 
tigated  the  proceedings  and  the  character  of  Sir  John 
Johnson,  of  Guy  Johnson  his  deputy,  of  Colonel  Claus, 
and  of  the  various  subordinates,  who  thenceforth  con 
trolled  the  direction  of  Indian  affairs,  have  arrived  at 
the  conclusion,  that  this  important  interest  \vas  man 
aged  in  a  bad  way,  if  their  object  was  to  serve  the 
Crown.  The  encouragement  of  murders  and  massacres 
was  well  calculated  to  arouse  the  deepest  hostility  of 
the  colonists,  and  to  cement  them  in  the  closest  bonds 
of  unity  against  the  oppression  of  the  British  yoke. 
Numbers  of  persons,  previously  lukewarm  in  their 
cause,  were  driven  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  con 
test  by  deeds  of  blood  and  Indian  atrocity.  The  sev 
eral  conferences,  held  in  the  office  of  the  British  De 
partment,  during  the  years  '75  and  '76,  proved  the  in 
capacity  of  Sir  William's  successors  to  control  great 


62  THE  IROQUOIS 

events.  The  Six  Nations  were,  as  a  body,  the  friends 
of  the  British,  and  did  not  like  to  see  their  officials,  in 
public  councils,  and  by  public  letters  to  committees 
and  corporations,  palliating  or  denying  acts  which  they 
had  secrectly  approved,  and  had  stimulated  them  to 
perform."  The  patriots  had  no  faith  in  the  kindly 
intentions  of  Guy  Johnson,  and  Washington  wrote  a 
letter  to  Schuyler  saying  "watch  the  movements  of 
the  Indian  Agent,  Colonel  Guy  Johnson,  and  prevent, 
so  far  as  you  can,  the  effect  of  his  influence,  to  our 
prejudice,  with  the  Indians."  Johnson  well  knew 
that  his  every  movement  was  watched  and  he  heard 
frequent  rumors  that  a  body  of  patriots  was  coming  to 
arrest  him.  He  sent  a  letter  to  the  Oneidas  stating 
this  and  asking  them  for  the  sake  of  old  friendship  to 
come  to  his  aid.  This  letter  was  intercepted  and  fell 
into  patriot  hands.  The  Rev.  Kirkland  was  urged  to 
use  his  influence  to  turn  the  friendship  of  the  Oueidas 
from  the  English  to  the  colonists.  Brant,  who  was 
Johnson's  secretary,  had  a  dissolute  sachem  prefer 
charges  against  Mr.  Kirkland  to  Johnson  with  the  ob 
ject  of  getting  the  missionary  removed.  The  Oneidas 
rallied  to  the  support  of  their  pastor  and  Brant  was 
baffled  for  the  time  being,  although  later,  as  it  appears 
from  Mr.  Kirkland' s  letters,  Johnson  ordered  him  not 
only  to  remain  away  from  the  Oneidas,  but  not  even  to 
speak  to  them .  Johnson  arrested  travelers  on  their  way 
up  the  Mohawk  and  searched  them  to  see  that  they  did 
not  carry  messages  to  the  Indians.  All  this  time  he 
was  in  active  correspondence  with  the  committees  of 
Tryon  county,  and  to  other  patriots  claiming  that 
he  was  unjustly  persecuted. 

In  May  a  council  of  the  Mohawk  Chiefs  was  held  at 
Guy  Park,  a  beautiful  spot  on  the  Mohawk  river. 
This  was  attended  by  the  committees  of  Albany  and 
Tryon  counties.  Little  Abraham,  wiio  seems  to  have 


THE  REVOLUTION  63 

been  the  leading  Mohawk  Chief  at  this  time,  was  the 
principal  speaker.  Among  other  things  he  said  that 
•'the  Indians  did  not  wish  to  have  a  quarrel  with  the 
white  people,  nor  did  they  wish  to  have  their  supply 
of  powder  cut  off.  If  it  is  we  shall  distrust  you,  we 
are  willing  to  communicate  with  you  in  the  presence 
of  our  Superintendent."  It  was  evident  from  his 
speech  that  they  were  wholly  under  the  influence  of 
Johnson.  As  the  Western  Indians,  who  had  been  in 
vited,  were  not  present  at  this  council,  the  Superinten 
dent  called  another  to  take  place  farther  west  at 
Crosby's  Manor.  In  June  of  this  year  a  letter  was  ad 
dressed  to  Johnson  asking  him  to  use  his  influence  to 
keep  the  Indians  from  committing  depredations,  and 
to  hold  themselves  neutral  from  a  contest  that  in  no 
wise  concerned  them.  This  letter  pointed  out  to  him 
the  risk  he  ran,  as  owner  of  a  great  estate  in  that  lo 
cality,  of  calling  upon  himself  the  enmity  of  his  neigh 
bors.  Johnson's  reply  to  this  letter  threw  the  blame 
of  the  existing  state  of  affairs  on  the  colonists.  He 
showed  why  he  had  been  compelled  to  fortify  his  resi 
dence  and  he  denied  having  stopped  travelers  on  their 
journey  except  in  the  case  of  two  New  Englanders. 
He  did  not  hold  the  council  at  Crosby's  Manor,  but 
moved  his  retinue  to  Fort  Stanwix.  This  caused  no 
small  speculation  and  concern  on  the  part  of  the  patriot 
settlers  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  After  a  short  respite 
he  moved  still  farther  West  to  Ontario  where  he  held 
a  conference  with  the  Indians  uninterrupted  by  the 
whites.  He  was  much  annoyed  that  supplies  and 
messages  were  constantly  intercepted  while  being  con 
veyed  to  him.  It  was  from  this  place  that  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Livingston  burning  with  loyalty,  and 
filled  with  complaints  of  Herkimer  and  other  patriots 
who  had  interfered  with  his  affairs  in  the  Mohawk 
Valley.  He  also  stated  that  his  conference  with  the 


£4  THE  IROQUOIS 

Indians  was  perfectly  satisfactory  to  himself,  he  hav 
ing  convened  1 340  warriors.  There  was  also  present 
at  this  council  his  Secretary,  Brant,  and  the  noted 
Butler  and  his  son  Walter.  There  was  present  of  the 
Six  Nations  at  least  the  Senecas,  Cayugas  and  some  of 
the  Mohawks  who  had  not  emigrated  to  Canada. 
When  we  consider  the  close  alliance  that  had  existed 
between  the  Iroquois  and  the  British  for  more  than 
100  years,  we  wonder  that  Johnson  did  not  have  more 
Influence  with  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras.  This 
council  served  to  alarm  the  whole  of  the  Mohawk 
Valley,  and  Herkimer  wrote  that  he  had  positive  in 
formation  that  Johnson  would  soon  mo  ye  down  the 
river,  and  beginning  just  below  Little  Falls,  would  de 
vastate  the  entire  region  eastward.  The  fact  that  Sir 
John  had  remained  at  Johnson  Hall  backed  by  a  large 
following  of  loyalists  lent  color  to  this  report.  Some 
preparations  for  defence  were  made,  but  it  was  soon 
learned  that  Johnson  had  gone  to  Oswego  where  he 
drew  up  a  treaty  with  the  Indians.  A  little  later,  ac 
companied  by  several  Iroquois  chiefs,  he  journeyed  to 
Montreal,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  in 
fluence  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton  to  firmly  cement  the  friend 
ship  of  the  Indians  to  the  Crown.  It  was  at  the  con 
ference  at  Oswego,  according  to  Lossing,  that  Johnson 
invited  the  Six  Nations  to  ''feast  on  a  Bostonian  and 
drink  his  blood."  Stone  also  mentions  this  in  his  Life 
of  Brant.  Although  it  was  a  figurative  speech,  it  was 
taken  up  by  the  patriots  as  a  sort  of  battle  cry  to 
arouse  the  passons  of  their  more  lukewarm  neighbors. 
To  attempt  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  John 
sons'  and  if  possible  to  keep  the  Six  Nations  neutral 
in  the  impending  struggle  a  commission  of  five  men 
was  appointed  to  treat  with  the  Indians.  General 
Philip  Schuyler  was  a  member  of  this  committee.  An 
assembly  was  soon  called  at  Albany  where  many 


THE  REVOLUTION  65 

speeches  were  made  both  by  members  of  the  committees 
and  by  the  leading  orators  among  the  Indians.  One 
of  these  was  Little  Abraham.  In  the  main  his  speech 
was  pacific.  He  however  complained  that  the  colonists 
had  taken  two  large  sections  of  land  from  the  Mohawks 
for  which  they  had  not  payed  " so  much  as  a  pipe." 
He  demanded  that  these  be  restored,  for  "if  they  are 
not  and  you  win  in  this  contest,  you  will  take  us  by 
the  arm  and  pull  us  all  off."  A  pretty  true  prophecy 
of  what  did  occur  in  after  years.  Little  Abraham 
claimed  that  at  the  Oswego  Council  Johnson  advised 
the  Indians  to  remain  neutral.  This  was  a  great  sur 
prise  to  the  commissioners  as  it  did  not  well  accord 
with  Johnson's  actions,  nor  with  the  silent  prepar 
ations  which  Sir  John  was  making  at  the  old  residence 
on  the  Mohawk.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  sort  of  body 
guard  of  Scotch  retainers  who  had  settled  on  his  lands 
in  and  about  Johnstown.  In  Campbell's  Annals  we 
read  that  committees  were  appointed  to  "keep  an  eye 
on  Sir  John  and  his  doings. ' '  It  was  one  of  these  that 
deposed  Sheriff  White  and  lodged  him  in  jail .  at  Al 
bany. 

The  Whigs  declared  that  Sir  John  was  in  communi 
cation  with  Guy  Johnson  in  Canada,  and  that  powder 
was  furnished  the  Indians  from  that  source.  Finally 
it  was  determined  to  ascertain  just  where  Sir  John 
stood  in  the  war,  and  a  committee  was  sent  to  ask 
whether  they  might  have  the  free  use  of  the  Court 
House  and  whether  he  would  permit  the  Scotch  settlers 
to  form  into  companies  in  the  patriot  service.  Sir 
John  replied  that  he  never  prevented  their  use  of  the 
court  house  nor  the  Scotch  from  enlisting  in  the  patriot 
service.  But  as  for  himself  '  'he  would  not  lift  his  hand 
against  the  King  even  to  prevent  his  head  from  being 
cut  off." 

When  it  was  learned  from  one  Council  that    a   large 


66  THE  IROQCOIS 

amount  of  ammunition  had  lately  been  received  at 
Johnstown,  Congress  ordered  General  Schuyler  to  pro 
ceed  at  once  to  that  place  and  disarm  and  intimidate 
the  Loyalists.  It  was  thought  proper  to  inform  the 
Mohawks  of  the  Lower  Castle,  who  according  to  Stone, 
had  not  been  drawn  away  by  Brant,  of  this  order. 
The  Mohawks  were  displeased  and  showed  great  love 
and  anxiety  for  Sir  John.  General  Schuyler  did  not 
wait  for  the  return  of  the  messenger  but  marched  at 
once  towards  Johnstown.  At  Schenectady  he  met 
Little  Abraham  who  made  a  long  speech,  the  under 
current  of  which  showed  much  dissatisfaction  that  the 
patriot  army  wTas  marching  into  the  country  of  the  Six 
Nations,  and  he  urged  upon  Schuyler  to  be  careful 
what  he  was  doing.  The  General  made  a  long  speech 
to  them  which  seemed  satisfactory.  He  told  them  that 
their  representatives  might  be  present  at  the  interview 
with  Sir  John. 

There  were  constant  additions  to  his  forces 
during  the  next  day  till  he  had  about  3000  followers. 
Before  reaching  Johnstown  he  was  met  by  Sir  John 
who  agreed  to  deliver  up  all  arms  except  what  he  need 
ed  for  his  personal  use;  that  the  Scotch  Highlanders 
should  do  the  same.  He  was  asked  to  give  up  all 
property  intended  for  the  Indians  that  the  patriots 
might  divide  the  same  among  them,  but  he  denied 
having  any.  Sir  John  was  liberated  on  parole  with 
the  agreement  that  he  wras  to  go  no  farther  west  than 
the  Flats,  but  east  and  south  as  far  as  he  might  choose, 
but  not  to  go  to  any  seaport  town. 

The  amount  of  ammunition  and  arms  was  exceed 
ingly  small,  and  it  turned  out  that  Council  was  an  im 
postor.  Schuyler  had  much  trouble  to  preserve  order 
in  such  a  collection  of  undisciplined  militia.  Sir  John 
did  not  keep  his  word  but  either  directly  or  indirectly 
used  his  influence  to  excite  the  Indians  to  hostilities. 


THE  REVOLUTION  07 

Schuyler  learning  this  sent  Colonel  Dayton  with  a  part 
of  a  regiment  to  arrest  him.  But  when  the  Colonel  ar 
rived  at  the  Hall  he  found  that  Sir  John  with  a  large 
number  of  his  retainers  and  some  disaffected  loyalists 
were  on  their  way  to  Canada.  Dayton  examined  all 
the  papers  that  he  could  find  among  Sir  John's  effects 
and  took  Lady  Johnson  a  prisoner  to  Albany.  Stone 
tells  us  there  is  some  reason  for  thinking  that  a  party 
of  Mohawks  was  sent  from  Canada  to  bring  Sir  John 
out  of  the  neighborhood  of  Johnstown.  Be  this  as  it 
ma}T,  he  and  his  followers  reached  Canada  in  a  sorry 
plight.  For  fear  of  falling  in  with  the  patriots  he  was 
obliged  to  strike  through  the  forests  where  he  was 
much  delayed  in  the  tangled  underbrush.  One  by  one 
members  of  the  party  became  exhausted  and  were  left 
to  be  brought  in  by  Indians  engaged  in  the  British  ser 
vice.  When  the}'  were  once  more  united,  they  were 
formed  into  a  company  under  Sir  John  as  Colonel  in 
the  British  army  and  were  known  as  the  "Royal 
Greens. ' '  Tories  fleeing  to  Canada  were  added  to  this 
company  from  time  to  time.  This  partisan  band  was 
actuated  by  such  hatred  of  their  old  neighbors  that 
they  performed  some  of  the  most  dastardly  deeds  ever 
committed  by  any  body  of  civilized  men. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1775  Brant  went  to 
England,  doubtless  to  see  for  himself  the  strength  of 
the  mother  country,  before  committing  himself  to  a 
policy  that  might  be  the  ruin  of  his  nation  if  the  patri 
ots  should  win.  It  is  thought  by  Stone  that  Guy 
Johnson  accompanied  him  on  this  voyage.  He  received 
marked  attention  from  all  classes  and  promised  as  head 
man  of  the  nation  to  enlist  3000  Iroquois  warriors  in 
the  British  cause.  He  returned  by  way  of  New  York 
and  made  a  journey  as  best  he  could  through  a  hostile 
population  to  Canada.  He  took  the  field  on  his  ar 
rival  and  was  present  at  the  unfortunate  affair  of  the 


(58  THE  IROQUOIS 

* 'Cedars"     where  Major  Butterfield  made  his  cowardly 
surrender. 

The  Continental  Congress  continued  their  efforts  to 
•win  over  the  Indians  and  met  a  deputation  of  them  at 
Philadelphia  when  an  Onondaga  Chief  conferred  upon 
President  Hancock  the  name  of  the  ''Great Tree."  In 
Spark's  Life  of  Washington  we  read  that  Congress 
finally  decided  to  enlist  the  Indians  in  the  patriot  cause, 
and  offered  a  reward  for  every  British  officer  that  the}' 
might  bring  in.  General  Schuyler  was  strongly  op 
posed  to  this  resolution  saying  that  the  Indians  could 
not  be  relied  upon  in  a  time  of  pressing  emergency. 
From  "time  immemorial"  the  Great  Council  Fire  at 
Onondaga  had  been  kept  brightly  burning,  but  for  some 
reason  never  known  to  historians  it  was  extinguished, 
according  to  Stone,  either  in  the  last  part  of  1776  or  in 
January  of  1777.  At  the  time  many  Onondaga  war 
riors  perished  together  with  two  principal  Sachems. 
Perhaps  the  only  reliable  information  which  we  have 
of  this  event  so  momentous  to  the  Six  Nations  is  found 
in  an  old  letter  among  the  papers  of  General  Herkimer. 

During  the  middle  of  the  year  1777  a  band  of  Mo 
hawks  led  by  their  chief  went  to  Unadilla  and  asked 
for  food,  saying  that  if  it  were  not  given  them  they 
would  take  it  by  force.  They  declared  themselves  in 
favor  of  the  Great  King.  This  showed  the  settlers 
what  they  had  to  fear  and  they  began  to  collect  at 
Cherry  Valley  and  some  of  the  older  settlements. 
Brant  was  collecting  his  forces  at  Oghkwaga,  so  Gen 
eral  Herkimer  determined  to  march  a  small  company 
to  this  place  evidently  with  the  determination  of  learn 
ing  Brant's  intentions.  He  was  told  by  this  cunning 
leader  that  the  Indians  were  pledged  to  the  King  and 
that  as  the  Indians  had  formerly  fought  the  whites 
united  they  had  noihing  to  fear  now  that  the  whites 
were  quarreling  aiiung  ti:emselvjs.  A  t.*r  tl:L  con 


TIIK  REVOLUTION  (59 

ference  Brant  united  his  forces  with  those  of  Johnston 
and  Butler.  Or.e  of  his  first  expeditions  was  to  go  to 
Cherry  Valley  with  the  hopes  of  making  captures  of 
prominent  persons.  But  the  place  appeared  to  be  forti 
fied  so  the  Indians  laid  in  ambush  near  a  bend  in  the 
road  where  they  were  concealed  in  the  thick  under 
growth.  In  the  evening  they  waylaid  and  scalped 
Lieut.  Wormwood,  who  had  just  borne  dispatches  to 
Cherry  Valley,  and  took  his  companion  prisoner.  The 
dispatches  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  Brant  deceived 
him  as  to  the  real  strength  of  the  place  and  he  retired 
without  doing  any  more  injury. 

SIEGE  OF  FORT    SCIIUYLER. 

As  the  summer  advanced  rumors  came  to  the  settle 
ments  that  Colonel  St.  L,eger  was  at  Oswego  collect 
ing  a  large  force  of  Tories  and  Indians  to  capture  the 
forts  and  to  destroy  the  crops  and  buildings  in  the  Mo 
hawk  valley  and  then  unite  with  Burgoyne  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  Albany.  He  had  with  him  the  Royal  Greens 
of  Sir  John  and  nearly  1000  Indians  under  Brant.  He 
followed  the  old  route  up  the  Oswego  river  to  the 
junction  of  the  Seneca  and  Oneida  to  the  lake,  and 
along  wood  creek  to  Fort  Stanwix.  Before  reaching 
here  his  force  was  augmented  by  other  bodies  of  In 
dians,  principally  Cayugas  and  Onondagas.  The 
fortress  was  in  a  dilapidated  condition  and  was  com 
manded  by  one  of  the  bravest  officers  in  the  whole 
patriot  army,  colonel  Gansevoort,  with  Colonel  Willett 
second  in  command.  The  latter  had  just  been  sent  to 
the  help  of  this  weak  position.  St.  Leger,  on  march 
ing  from  the  forest  into  the  clearing  arranged  his  line 
of  march  so  as  to  make  the  greatest  possible  display  of 
his  troops,  hoping  thus  to  frighten  the  little  garrison. 
He  had  not  yet  learned  that  the  American  soldier  is 
not  frightened  by  mere  display.  The  British  Colonel 
made  the  investment  complete.  He  placed  his  artillery 


70  THE  IROQUOIS 

•on  the  south;  Sir  John's  followers  occupied  one  bank 
of  the  Mohawk  while  the  Indians  prowled  through 
•the  adjoining  forests  watching  every  avenue.  Death 
was  certain  to  ever}'  one  venturing  many  yards  out 
side  of  the  works.  Even  children  who  happened  to 
be  captured  were  inhumanly  treated.  St.  Leger  is 
sued  a  pompous  proclamation  which  affected  neither 
the  settlers  nor  the  garrison.  His  artillery  was  able  to 
do  but  little  damage.  The  garrison  had  provisions 
sufficient  for  six  weeks,  and  ammunition  for  their  small 
arms,  but  were  sadly  deficient  in  cannon.  For  a  flag 
they  sewed  together  strips  of  white  shirts,  and  blue 
from  a  captured  cloak,  while  the  red  was  made  up  from 
odds  and  ends  found  about  the  fort.  What  they  lack 
ed  in  equipment  they  made  up  in  courage,  resolved  to 
hold  out  to  the  last  well  knowing  that  to  surrender 
was  to  die  the  most  cruel  death  tnat  the  savage  could 
devise. 

When  the  news  reached  the  settlements  that  St. 
Leger  was  about  to  start  on  his  march  toward  the  east 
•consternation  seized  upon  all.  But  when  he  began  to 
approach  Fort  Stanwix  their  courage  returned  and 
they  responded  readily  to  the  call  for  volunteers  to  go 
to  the  aid  of  Colonel  Gansevoort.  The  country  turned 
out  almost  to  a  man,  and  Herkimer  soon  found  him 
self  at  the  head  of  nearly  1000  troops  all  eager  to  push 
on  to  Fort  Stanwix.  Ariving  at  Oriskany  a  messenger. 
was  sent  forward  to  apprise  Gansevcort  that  succor 
was  at  hand.  His  arrival  at  the  fort  was  to  be  an 
nounced  by  three  successive  discharges  of  cannon. 
The  message  was  delayed  till  late  the  following  morn 
ing  and  General  Herkimer  did  not  think  it  prudent  to 
advance  until  re-inforcements  came  up;  besides  he 
wished  to  act  in  conjunction  with  Colonel  Willett  who 
was  to  make  a  sortie  from  the  works.  Brant  had 
learned  that  Herkimer  was  on  his  wav  to  relieve  Fort 


THE  REVOLUTION  71 

Stamvix,  and,  knowing  the  country  between  that  place 
and  Oriskany  he  called  into  requisition  all  his  knowl 
edge  of  Indian  warfare  and  of  lying  in  ambush.  The 
lay  of  the  land  was  exactly  suited  to  this  sort  of  fight 
ing.  About  two  miles  from  Oriskany  where  the  road 
crossed  the  river  there  was  a  swamp  on  either  hand 
crossed  by  a  causeway.  Above  the  swamp  were  hills 
crowned  with  virgin  forests.  Here  Brant  skillfully 
hid  his  Indians  in  a  semi-circle  and  waited  for  Herki- 
mer  and  his  men. 

While  Herkimer  was  waiting  for  re-inforcements  or, 
at  least  knowledge  that  a  sortie  had  been  made  from 
the  besieged  fort,  his  officers  became  eager  to  press  for 
ward.  In  vain  the  staunch  old  general  urged  the  pro 
priety  of  delaying.  High  words  ensued.  Many  of 
the  officers  accused  him  of  disloyalty,  some  even  call 
ing  him  a  Tory  and  a  coward.  Herkimer  retorted  by 
telling  them  they  would  be  the  first  to  run  should  they 
suddenly  meet  the  enemy.  At  last,  losing  his  patience, 
he  gave  the  order  to  "march  on."  The  troops  rushed 
forward  in  files  two  deep  with  an  advance  guard  and 
flankers  on  either  side.  All  unconscious  of  danger  the 
van  guard  entered  the  ambuscade  when  suddenly  the 
entire  forest  seemed  alive  with  savages.  Blood  curd 
ling  yells  sounded  on  every  hand,  and  almost  immedi 
ately  the  circle  was  completed  in  the  rear  cutting  off 
all  retreat. 

Colonel  Yischer's  regiment  and  the  baggage  train 
were  just  entering  the  ravine,  when,  hearing  the  firing 
the}'  fled  leaving  their  companions  to  their  fate.  They 
were  pursued  by  the  Indians  for  a  long  distance  and 
man}'  of  them  either  captured  or  killed,  a  just  retribu 
tion  to  a  command  and  its  leader  who  would  desert 
companions  in  a  time  of  great  peril.  They  fulfilled 
Herkimer' s  prophecy  of  a  few  hours  before,  a:id  paid 
the  penalty  of  their  cowardice.  Herkimer' s  men  fell 


7:>  THE  IROQUUlS 

around  him  like  autumn  leaves  before  a  gale.  His 
horse  was  shot  under  him  and  his  leg  was  shattered  by 
the  same  ball  that  killed  his  horse.  At  almost  the 
same  time  Colonel  Cox  and  two  of  the  captains  fell 
mortally  wounded.  From  nearly  every  tree  darted  an 
Indian  to  tomahawk  and  scalp  the  wounded.  Amid 
this  scene  of  carnage,  which  promised  the  utter  exter 
mination  of  his  army,  Herkimer  preserved  his  usual 
self  control.  Seated  on  his  saddle,  with  his  back 
against  a  tree,  this  heroic  Dutchman  calmly  smoked 
his  pipe  and  gave  orders  for  the  conduct  of  the  battle. 
The  battle  raged  thus  for  some  time  when  the  enemy- 
made  a  charge.  Never  was  a  charge  withstood'  under 
more  trying  circumstances,  and  never  was  greater  cour 
age  displayed  than  these  farmer  soldiers  showed  at  that 
time.  Both  sides  fought  like  tigers  while  above  the 
din  of  battle  sounded  the  dreadful  yell  of  the  Indians. 
The  provincials  were  fighting  for  their  homes  and 
their  country.  Suddenly  a  heavy  shower  broke  upon 
the  combatants  and  arrested  the  progress  of  the  fight. 
During  the  lull  the  patriots  arranged  themselves  on 
more  advantageous  ground,  placing  two  men  behind  a 
tree  instead  of  one  man  as  heretofore.  When  the 
action  first  began  it  was  observed  that  whenever  a  man 
fired  his  gun,  before  he  could  re-load,  an  Indian  would 
dart  forward  and  tomahawk  him.  Under  the  new  dis 
position  one  man  reserved  his  fire  much  to  the  disad 
vantage  of  the  Indian  who  attempted  his  former  tactics. 
Disgusted  with  this  mode  of  fighting,  and  suffering 
great  loss  of  numbers,  the  Indians  were  about  to  with 
draw  from  the  fight  when  they  were  re-inforced  by 
Major  Watts  with  a  detachment  of  the  Royal  Greens. 
Many  of  these  were  acquaintances  and  neighbors  of  the 
militia  who  sprang  forward  to  meet  this  new  foe,  while 
the  pent  up  hatred  of  these  neighbors  showed  itself  in 
one  of  the  fiercest  hand  to  hand  fights  recorded  in  the- 


THE  REVOLUTION  73 

annals  of  American  History.  Stone  tells  us  "that 
they  fought  each  other  with  knives,  some  even  dying 
in  each  others  embrace."  At  tftis  time  a  firing  was 
heard  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  Colonel  Butler 
hearing  it  seized  the  opportunity  to  deceive  the  Pro 
vincials,  by  sending  toward  them  a  company  of  the 
Royal  Greens  who  wore  caps  similar  to  those  worn  by 
the  militia.  At  first  the  Provincials  did  not  see  their 
green  coats  and  thought  that  help  was  at  hand,  but  on 
a  nearer  approach  the  ruse  was  discovered  and  the 
fight  was  again  renewed.  One  of  the  militiamen  was 
so  much  deceived  that  he  went  up  to  shake  hands  with 
one  of  the  tories,  a  neighbor  whom  he  supposed  was  a 
friend.  He  was  instantly  taken  prisoner,  but  in  the 
struggle  which  followed,  another  militiaman  rushed 
forward  and  struck  down  his  captor  and  freed  him. 
This  second  man  was  then  attacked  by  three  of  the 
Tories  who  felled  him  to  the  ground.  He  received 
two  severe  bayonet  wounds,  yet  he  succeeded  in  drag 
ging  one  of  these  men  down  upon  him,  when  the  pros 
trate  Provincial  stabbed  the  Tory,  who  was  uppermost, 
in  the  side,  while  others  came  and  rescued  the  gallant 
patriot  from  his  assailants.  Such  was  the  struggle  be 
tween  old  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 

The  Tories  and  Indians  finding  their  numbers  de 
pleted,  and  hearing  fighting  in  the  rear  suddenly  re 
treated  leaving  the  Provincials  masters  of  the  field. 

As  soon  as  the  heavy  shower  would  permit,  Colonel 
Willett  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers  rushed 
from  the  fort  and  attacked  the  camp  of  Sir  John.  So 
sudden  and  unexpected  was  the  rush  that  Sir  John  did 
not  even  have  time  to  put  on  his  coat  wrhich  he  had 
taken  of!  because  of  the  heat.  Colonel  Willett  and  his 
men  drove  the  Tories  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  out 
of  their  camp  and  across  the  Mohawk.  They  captured 
several  wagon  loads  of  camp  equipage  which 


74  THE  IROQUOIS 

they  sent  back  to  the  fort.  Stone  says  "among  the 
spoils  were  clothing,  blankets,  stores,  five  British 
standards  and  the  baggage  of  Sir  John,  with  all  of  his 
papers. ' '  The  Provincials  swept  through  the  camp  of 
the  Mohawks  and  returned  to  the  fort  without  the  loss 
of  a  man. 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  fiercely  contested 
battles  of  the  Revolution.  Schoolcraft  gives  the  num 
ber  of  Indians  slain  as  one  hundred,  thirty-six  of  whom 
were  Senecas.  This  tribe  had  been  induced  to  join  in 
the  expedition  by  a  liberal  use  of  liquor  and  promises 
that  they  were  not  to  fight  but  to  look  on  and  smoke 
their  pipes  while  the  others  did  the  fighting.  But  at 
the  battle  of  Oriskany  they  found  themselves  in  a  po 
sition  where  they  were  "compelled  to  fight  for  their 
lives;  and  in  the  end  of  the  battle  were  completely  beat 
en  with  a  great  loss  of  killed  and  wounded. ' '  The 
narrative  of  Mary  Jemison  says  that,  when  they  return 
ed  to  their  towns  and  reported  their  great  losses,  ''the 
mourning  was  excessive  and  was  expressed  by  the 
most  doleful  yells,  shrieks,  howlings,  and  by  inimit 
able  gesticulations." 

The  unfortunate  prisoners  were  the  first  with  their 
blood  to  administer  to  their  spirit  of  revenge.  Indeed 
it  was  common  report  that  the  British  officers  connived 
at,  if  they  did  not  consent  to  the  most  cruel  and  bar 
barous  massacres  of  many  prisoners. 

After  the  battle  General  Herkimer's  troops  made 
litters  upon  which  the}*  carried  many  wounded  com 
rades  down  the  river  to  their  homes.  General  Herki- 
mer  was  conveyed  to  his  home  below  Little  Falls 
where  he  died  a  few  days  later  from  an  unskillful  am 
putation  of  his  leg.  Thus  passed  away  one  of  the 
truest  patriots  of  his  day,  a  man  whom  the  struggling 
patriots  could  ill  afford  to  lose.  "If  Socrates  died  like 
a  philosopher,  and  Rousseau  like  an  unbelieving  senti- 


THE  REVOLUTION  75 

mentalist,    General    Herkimer    died    like    a    Christian 
hero." 

After  the  Battle  of  Oriskany  St.  Leger  used  all  the 
means  at  his  command  and  that  his  cunning  could  de 
vise  to  induce  the  garrison  to  surrender.  He  compell 
ed  Colonel  Bellinger  and  Major  Frey,  who  were  prison 
ers  in  his  camp,  to  write  a  letter  to  Colonel  Gansevoort 
greatly  exaggerating  the  loses  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany, 
and  that  in  all  probability  Burgoyne  was  already  in 
Albany.  This  letter,  having  no  apparent  effect  on  the 
intrepid  colonel,  was  followed  by  a  verbal  message 
from  St.  Leger  stating  in  effect  that  if  the  garrison 
was  not  surrendered  at  once  the  Indians  would  be  per 
mitted  to  satisfy  their  revenge  upon  them  as  soon  as 
the  works  were  captured.  Not  only  that,  but  the  en 
tire  Mohawk  valley  would  be  ravaged  with  fire  and 
sword.  The  messenger  was  emphatically  informed 
that  such  a  message  was  a  degrading  one  for  a  British 
officer  to  send  and  one  which  no  cultured  officer  would 
carry.  Failing  in  this  St.  Leger  issued  an  appeal  to 
the  residents  of  Try  on  county  urging  them  to  accept 
proposals  of  peace  and  to  use  their  influence  to  induce 
the  garrison  to  surrender.  If  this  were  not  done,  that 
their  homes  and  property  would  be  destroyed,  them 
selves  carried  into  captivity  and  the  entire  garrison 
would  be  killed.  Messengers  were  sent  down  the  val 
ley  with  this  appeal.  The  anxiety  displayed  by  St. 
Leger  to  induce  a  surrender  convinced  the  besieged 
that  the  British  doubted  their  ability  to  capture  the 
place,  and  made  them  more  determined  to  hold  out. 
Colonel  YVillett,  accompanied  by  a  single  officer,  one 
dark  night  passed  stealthily  through  the  camps  of 
Tories  and  Indians  and  made  his  way  down  the  valley 
to  General  Schuyler's  headquarters.  At  Fort  Dayton 
he  learned  that  General  Schuyler  had  ordered  General 
Arnold  to  go  to  the  relief  of  Colonel  Gansevoort.  He 


76  THE  IROQUOIS 

proceeded  to  Albany  and  returned  within  a  fe.v  days 
with  the  followers  of  General  Arnold. 

The  messengers  of  St.  Leger  who  had  been  dispatch 
ed  down  the  valley  with  the  appeal  already  mentioned 
stopped  with  a  Tory  not  far  from  the  present  site  of 
Herkimer.  Here  one  night  while  at  a  secret  meeting 
of  Tories  they  were  discovered  and  captured.  Among 
the  rest  was  Walter  Butler  who  was  in  the  act  of  mak 
ing  a  speech  to  the  assembly  when  he  was  arrested, 
At  a  subsequent  court  martial  he  received  a  death  sen 
tence,  but,  at  the  intercession  of  acquaintances,  he 
was  sent  to  prison  in  Albany  from  which  he  escaped 
later  and  became  one  of  the  most  cruel  leaders  in  that 
border  war. 

Living  near  Little  Falls  was  a  gypsy-like  character 
who  was  the  mother  of  an  idiotic  Tory  by  the  name  of 
Hon-yost  Schuyler.  The  latter  was  one  of  the  cap 
tured  part}7  spoken  of  above  and  had  also  received  the 
sentence  of  death.  When  his  mother  heard  of  his 
danger  she  hastened  to  General  Arnold's  headquarters 
and  pleaded  eloquently  for  her  son's  life.  The  general 
yielded  to  her  importunities  on  condition  that  Hon- 
yost  would  cut  holes  in  his  clothes  to  make  it  appear 
that  he  had  had  a  narrow  escape  from  the  Patriots, 
and  spread  the  report  among  St.  Leger' s  troops  that  a 
large  army  was  rapidly  approaching  for  the  relief  of 
the  garrison.  A  friendly  Oneida  Indian  was  selected 
to  aid  him  in  this  enterprise,  while  the  condemned 
Tory's  brother  was  retained  as  a  hostage  to  make  sure 
that  Hon-yost  would  carry  out  the  plans.  Hon-yost 
and  the  Oneida  approached  the  camp  from  different 
directions  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  each  others 
report.  Hon-yost  happened  upon  a  body  of  Indians  at 
just  about  the  time  they  were  holding  a  pow-wow  to 
ascertain  what  would  be  their  future  luck  in  the  cam 
paign.  In  a  very  mysterious  manner  he  imparted  to 


THE  REVOLUTION  77 

them  the  news  that  Arnold  was  within  a  few  hours 
inarch  with  a  large  army,  "as  numerous  as  the  leaves 
-of  the  trees."  From  another  direction  came  the 
Oneida  bearing  a  belt  to  the  Indians,  and  confirming 
all  that  Hon-yost  had  said,  but  adding  that  the  army 
was  coming  to  attack  the  British  and  not  the  Indians. 
Ever  since  the  battle  of  Oriskany  the  Indians  had 
shown  great  dissatisfaction,  and  a  vague  rumor  was  all 
that  was  needed  to  cause  them  to  desert.  In  vain  did 
St.  Leger  assemble  their  chiefs  and  urge  them  to  re 
main.  Band  after  band  moved  away.  The  British 
leaders  began  to  quarrel  among  themselves,  when  an 
old  chief  raised  the  cry  "They  are  coming!"  Away 
went  the  Red  Coats,  officers  and  privates  alike.  Tents 
-were  left  standing,  arms  and  knapsacks  were  thrown 
away,  and  even  much  of  their  provisions,  artillery  and 
ammunition  were  left  to  be  secured  by  the  colonists. 
The  Indians  not  only  enjoyed  the  confusion  into  which 
rthey  had  thrown  St.  Leger  and  his  troops,  but  they 
fell  upon  the  small  detachments  of  British  soldiers  and 
prisoners  removed  from  the  main  body  and  murdered 
them  in  cold  blood. 

St.  Leger  hastened  back  to  Oswego  and  thence  to 
Montreal  and  later  to  Lake  Champlain  to  aid  Bur- 
goyne.  The  Tory  Hon-yost  returned  to  Fort  Dayton 
and  secured  the  release  of  his  brother.  Not  many 
months  afterwards  he  left  the  country  and  joined  the 
forces  of  Sir  John  Johnson.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  the  Mohawk  valley  where  he  was 
long  known  for  the  part  which  he  played  in  the  relief 
of  Fort  Stanwix,  as  well  as  for  his  peculiarities. 

RUMORS  OF     INDIAN  AND  TORY  RAIDS. 

Early  in  the  fall  of  1777  the  colonists  in  the  Mohawk. 
Schoharie  and  Cherry  valleys  were  greatly  alarmed  by 
.a  report  that  Johnson  and  ButUr  were  engaged  in  rais 
ing  an  army  to  desolate  -11  these  disaffected  regions. 


78  .  THE  IROQUOIS 

Later  a  messenger  arrived  at  Canajoharie  and  announc 
ed  that  Johnson  had  engaged  the  services  of  twenty- 
two  Indian  nations  against  the  Colonists.  A  belt  was 
sent  to  the  Oneidas  to  join  with  them,  but  if  they  re 
fused  they  were  to  be  the  first  to  feel  the  effects  of  the 
invasion.  In  a  measure  to  offset  these  rumors  and 
messages  an  address  was  sent  to  the  Six  Nations  with 
a  view  to  win  them  to  neutrality,  if  nothing  more. 
But  the  poverty  of  the  country  and  the  lack  of  presents 
from  Congress  more  than  counterbalanced  any  good 
that  may  have  come  from  the  message.  The  British 
with  an  eye  to  business  kept  the  Indians  supplied  with 
just  the  things  to  suit  their  needs  and  fancies.  These 
appealed  to  the  Indian  much  more  strongly  than  logic 
or  oratory. 

COUNCIL    AT  JOHNSTOWN. 

The  year  1777  opened  with  still  more  extended 
rumors  of  the  union  of  the  great  western  tribes  with 
those  of  the  Six  Nations  against  the  colonists.  A 
council  was  called  to  convene  at  Johnstown  some  time 
in  February  to  which  were  invited  representatives  of 
all  the  Iroquois.  There  was  a  large  gathering  of 
Oneidas,  Onondagas  and  Tuscaroras,  but  the  Mohawks 
and  Cayugas  sent  a  very  small  number,  while  the 
Senecas  sent  a  message  of  surprise  saying,  ''That 
while  our  tomahawks  were  sticking  in  their  heads, 
their  wounds  bleeding  and  their  eyes  streaming  with 
tears  for  the  loss  of  friends  at  German  Flatts,  (Oris- 
kany,)  the  commissioners  should  think  of  inviting 
them  to  a  treaty." 

The  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  convinced  the  com 
missioners  of  the  sincerity  of  their  friendship,  but  it 
was  evident  that  the  remaining  Six  Nations  were 
wholly  under  the  influence  of  British  pay  and  presents. 
Indeed  the  Oneidas  secretly  told  them  that  these  In 
dians  wrere  under  the  control  of  Butltr  and  would  re- 


THE  REVOLUTION  71) 

new  hostilities  in  the  spring.  It  was  at  the  time  of 
this  council  that  it  was  proposed  to  erect  a  fort  at 
Cherry  Valley.  During  the  year  before,  three  small 
forts  had  been  erected  in  the  Schoharie  valley.  At 
the  request  of  the  Oneidas  it  was  also  ordered  to  erect 
a  fort  in  their  territory. 

RAID     IX  THE  MOHAWK  VALLEY 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  a  large  party  of 
Tories,  who  had  previously  fled  to  Canada,  returned 
and  secured  their  families  and  considerable  of  their  mov 
able  property  and  returned  by  way  of  the  Sacondaga  and 
Lake  Champlain  to  Quebec.  They  picked  up  several 
prisoners  on  their  way  and  destroyed  considerable 
property. 

RAID     IX  SCHOHARIE  VALLEY 

At  the  opening  of  this  same  spring  Brant  returned 
to  his  old  quarters  near  Unadilla,  while  he  himself  per 
haps  did  not  murder  helpless  women  and  children,  yet 
his  active  mind  planned  excursions  that  were  carried 
out  in  all  their  horrid  details,  and  yet  the  Tories  wrere 
oftentimes  more  cruel  than  the  Indians.  The  historian 
Stone  quotes  the  following  story  in  support  of  the 
above  story.  "While  a  party  of  hostiles  were  prowl 
ing  about  the  borders  of  Schoharie,  the  Indians  killed 
and  scalped  a  mother,  and  a  large  family  of  children. 
They  had  just  completed  the  work  of  death,  when 
some  loyalists  of  the  part}'  came  up  and  discovered  an 
infant  breathing  sweetly  in  its  cradle.  An  Indian 
warrior,  noted  for  his  barbarity,  approached  the  cradle 
with  his  uplifted  hatchet.  The  babe  looked  up  in  his 
face  and  smiled;  the  feelings  of  nature  triumphed  over 
the  ferocity  of  the  savage;  the  hatchet  fell  with  his 
arm,  and  he  was  about  stooping  down  to  take  the  in 
nocent  in  his  arms,  when  one  of  the  loyalists,  cursing 
him  for  his  humanity,  thrust  it  through  with  his- 
bayonet,  and,  thus  transfixed,  held  it  up  struggling  in. 


80  THE  IROQUOIS 

the  agonies  of  death,  as  he  exclaimed — "this  too,    is  a 
rebel. '; 

BRANT  BURNS   SPRINGFIELD 

It  was  in  this  year  (1778)  that  Brant  made  a  descent 
upon  Springfield  and  captured  all  the  men  that  he 
-could  find  in  the  place  and  burnt  the  entire  settlement, 
save  one  house  in  which  he  left  the  helpless  women 
.and  children.  A  little  later  a  large  party  of  Indians 
were  engaged  with  the  Schoharie  militia.  They  were 
victorious  and  carried  away  a  large  amount  of  plunder, 
and  what  they  could  not  use  they  destroyed.  But 
cruelty  was  not  always  with  the  Indians  and  Tories. 
The  first  blood  shed  in  the  beautiful  Schoharie  valley 
in  this  war  was  that  of  an  old  Sachem  who  was  cruelly 
murdered  by  a  band  of  Americans.  —  [Stone.] 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  WYOMING  MASSACRE 

Much  has  been  written  and  said  concerning  the  de 
vastation  of  the  beautiful  Wyoming  Valley;  some 
claiming  that  the  Tories  were  largely  the  cause  of  the 
raid  and  massacre;  some  that  the  celebrated  Indian 
leader,  Brant  was  the  prime  mover  and  instigator; 
others  even  going  so  far  as'toclaiin  that  the  Provincial- 
ists  foolishly  accepted  a  challenge  to  meet  the  enemy 
half  way.  The  following  account  of  the  battle  is  taken 
largely  from  facts  collected  by  that  indefatigable  search - 
tr  after  historical  data,  Stone. 

For  a  great  many  years  there  had  been  a  contention 
between  land  specalators  and  settlers  as  to  who  had 
the  best  claim  to  the  land.  At  just  about  the  time  of 
the  opening  of  the  Revolution  another  of  these  bitter 
feuds  sprang  up  engendering  great  factional  hatred 
at  the  time  that  the  people  should  have  been 
united  against  the  common  foe.  Man)'  of  the  settlers 
who  were  loyalists  fled  from  the  valley,  declaring 
that  they  would  be  revenged  upon  the  whigs.  Early 
in  the  summer  of  '78  they  conducted  John  Butler  with 
more  than  a  thousand  other  Tories  and  Indians  into 
this  valley.  Many  of  the  able  bodied  men  were  away 
to  the  seat  of  war,  leaving  only  a  small  company  of 
soldiers,  old  men  and  boys  to  oppose  this  large  force. 
The  most  of  the  women  and  children  were  assembled 
at  Fort  Forty.  The  Patriot  leader  attempted  to  sur 
prise  the  Tories  at  Fort  Wintermoot,  but  they  had 
been  apprised  of  the  movement  and  were  prepared. 
The  Tories  occupied  the  right  and  the  Indians  the  left. 
The  battle  raged  furiously  for  some  time  when  the 
Patriots  were  commanded  to  fail  back  into  a  better  po- 


82  THE  IROQCOIS 

sition.  The  order  was  mistaken  for  a  retreat  and  a 
panic  ensued.  This  was  the  opportunity  looked  for  by 
the  Tories  to  revenge  themselves  upon  their  neighbors. 
Aided  by  the  Indians  they  fell  upon  the  fleeing  Patri 
ots  and  slaughtered  without  mercy.  The  Seneca  In 
dians  were  rewarded  with  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  scalps.  A  few  escaped  to  the  mountains.  Dark 
ness  came  and  lent  its  horrors  to  the  scene.  The  un 
fortunate  prisoners  were  put  to  the  greatest  tortures. 
A  party  of  them  were  bound  while  a  half  breed  woman 
named  Queen  Esther  murdered  them  with  club  and 
tomahawk.  The  inmates  at  Fort  Forty,  who  had  pass 
ed  the  night  in  the  greatest  apprehension,  surrendered 
on  the  following  morning  to  Butler  with  a  strong 
promise  that  their  persons  and  property  should  be  safe. 
But  no  sooner  had  the  British  leader  left  the  valley 
than  the  Indians  who  loitered  behind  began  an  indis 
criminate  massacre  of  the  few  remaining  settlers. 
Some  escaped  to  the  mountains  and  made  their  way 
back  to  Connecticut.  Others  perished  in  a  nearby 
swamp.  Not  a  building  was  left  standing.  Crops, 
fences,  fruit  trees,  in  short  everything  that  would  glad 
den  the  eye  of  the  colonists  or  supply  the  necessities  of 
life  was  laid  waste.  Lossing  says  "The  details  of  the 
desolation  of  the  beautiful  Wyoming  valley  and  of  the 
horrors  of  the  flight  of  the  survivors  of  the  massacre 
form  one  of  the  darkest  chapters  in  human  history." 
It  so  pleased  the  British  Secretary  that  he  praised  the 
Indians  for  the  part  they  played  and  proposed  to  direct 
a  series  of  such  raids  against  the  several  frontier  settle 
ments. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  claimed  by  writers  that  Brant 
and  his  Mohawks  were  present  at  the  massacre  of  Wy 
oming.  This  the  Indian  leader  and  his  descendants 
have  strenuously  denied. 


THE  EVOLUTION  83 

RAID  ON  COBLESKILL 

Some  time  in  the  spring  of  this  year  Brant  with  a 
large  following  of  Tories  and  Indians  fell  upon  Cobles- 
kill  and  destroyed  much  property  and  many  lives. 
Captain  Patrick  with  a  small  band  of  Provincials  at 
tempted  to  stay  their  progress  but  were  all  killed  or 
taken  prisoners  except  four  who  though  badly  wound 
ed,  escaped. 

RAID    IX  SCHOHARIE  VALLEY 

Later  in  the  summer  a  band  of  Tories  and  Indians 
went  into  the  Schoharie  valley  and  began  to  destroy 
property  and  kill  and  take  prisoners  those  who  came 
in  their  way.  Colonel  Vrooman,  who  commanded  the 
little  fortress  at  Schoharie,  either  could  not,  or  dared 
not  attempt  to  stay  their  progress.  Colonel  Harper, 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  fort,  was  not  satisfied  to  see 
property  and  lives  sacrificed  without  an  effort  made  to 
prevent  it.  Alone  he  made  his  way  through  the  bands 
of  prowling  Indians  and  reached  Albany  where  he  se 
cured  a  company  of  soldiers  to  go  to  the  relief  of  Scho 
harie  settlers.  Early  the  next  morning  the  enemy 
were  surprised  by  a  sudden  attack  of  cavalry  and  fled 
precipitately. 

Later  a  scalping  party  of  seven  Indians  entered  this 
valley  and  made  a  prisoner  of  Mr.  Sawyer.  They 
marched  several  miles  into  the  forest,  and  having 
bound  their  captive  laid  down  to  rest.  Mr.  Sawyer 
feigned  sleep,  and  when  his  captives,  tired  with  their 
long  march,  were  in  deep  sleep,  he  worked  the  cords 
loose  from  his  wrists,  arose  quietly  to  his  feet,  seized  a 
tomahawk  and  killed  six  of  the  sleeping  Indians  while 
the  seventh  one  escaped.  He  then  returned  to  his 
home. 

RAID    ON  HERKIMER 

In  the  early  fall  a  scout  by  the  name  of  John  Helmer 


84  THE  IROQUOIS 

cauie  into  the  settlements  near  Forts  Dayton  and  Her- 
kimer  with  the  news  that  Brant  at  the  head  of  a  large 
party  of  Indians  was  within  a  few  miles  and  would  be 
upon  them  during  the  night.  The  news  spread  rapid 
ly  and  soon  the  excited  settlers  came  hastening  to  the 
forts  bringing  their  more  valuable  articles.  They  had 
no  time  to  prepare  for  the  protection  of  their  grain  and 
cattle.  The  night  set  in  dark  and  rainy.  Brant  ar 
rived  at  Shoemaker's  place  where  he  sheltered  him 
self  from  the  storm,  hoping  to  take  the  settlers  by  sur 
prise  at  dawn  of  the  following  day.  In  the  gray  light 
of  the  early  morning  the  Indians  scattered  through  the 
settlement  and  at  a  given  signal  the  work  of  destruction 
began.  Kvery  where  were  to  be  seen  flames  arising 
from  burning  buildings  and  the  dusky  forms  of  the 
barbarians  driving  oft  horses  and  cattle. 

The  colonists  looked  out  from  Fort  Herkimer  and 
saw  both  his  season's  labor  and  winter's  provisions 
disappear  before  the  torch  of  the  invader.  Shortly 
after  leaving  with  their  plunder  they  were  pursued  by 
a  body  of  militia,  but  to  no  purpose.  A  party  of 
Oneida  Indians  however  went  to  the  Uiiadilla  settle 
ment,  burnt  several  dwellings  and  recaptured  consider 
able  of  the  booty,  besides  taking  prisoners. 

SETTLERS  INVADE  THE  INDIAN  COUNTRY 

There  were  stationed  in  the  Schoharie  valley  several 
regular  troops  and  a  company  of  them  determined  to 
invade  the  territory  of  Brant.  By  a  rapid  march  they 
entered  Unadilla  which  they  found  deserted.  They 
burned  the  entire  settlement  with  the  only  saw  mill  on 
the  river.  They  hastened  to  Brant's  head  quarters, 
Oghkwaga,  which  had  also  been  hastily  deserted.  Here 
they  found  an  abundance  of  provisions  stored  for 
winter  use,  with  some  cattle  and  furniture.  They 
rested  for  a  day  or  so  and  then  proceeded  to  lay  waste 


THE  REVOLUTION  85 

the  entire  section.  They  went  further  down  the  river 
and  destroyed  the  Indian  castle.  The  campaign  lasted 
sixteen  days  and  was  one  that  required  much  courage 
and  hardihood. 

Walter  Butler  after  his  escape  from  confinement  at  Al 
bany,  went  through  the  Seneca  country  on  his  way  to 
Niagara.  Burning  with  thoughts  of  revenge  he  stirred 
up  the  ill  feelings  of  the  Senecas  and  succeeded  in  rais 
ing  a  war  party  with  which  to  desolate  the  frontier 
settlements  in  retaliation  for  his  recent  indignities. 
On  the  way  he  met  Brant  whom  he  induced  to  return 
with  his  Mohawks,  making  a  total  force  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  men. 

MASSACRE  AT  CHERRY    VALLEY 

The  fort  which  had  been  recently  built  at  Cherry 
Valley  was  commanded  by  a  man  not  much  versed  in 
Indian  warfare.  He  was  told  that  a  large  party  of 
rangers  and  Indians  were  on  the  march  against  his 
post  but  he  refused  to  believe  it,  saying  that  it  was 
only  an  idle  rumor.  The  people  urged  him  to  permit 
them  to  move  their  effects  into  the  fort,  but  he  allaj^ed 
their  fears,  and  sent  out  a  scouting  party  to  watch  for 
any  approaching  enemy.  These  scouts  made  a  con 
siderable  journey  into  the  forest,  and  wearied  with 
their  day's  march,  kindled  a  bright  fire  and  lay  down 
to  rest.  When  they  awoke  they  found  themselves 
prisoners  compelled  to  furnish  information  to  their 
captors  as  to  the  strength  and  location  of  the  fort  and 
principal  families  of  the  settlement.  Having  secured 
all  necessary  information,  they  pushed  onto  within  a 
mile  of  the  village  where  they  halted  for  the  night 
concealed  by  the  thick  evergreens.  Early  in  the  morn 
ing  a  traveler  rushed  into  the  settlement  and  warned 
the  commander  that  a  large  band  of  Indians  was  ap 
proaching.  Even  then  he  was  incredulous  until  the 
Indians  burst  upon  the  settlement,  and  the  work  of 


86  THE  IROQUOIS 

death  began.  Whole  families  were  killed  or  taken 
prisoners.  One  household  were  killed  while  at  family 
prayers.  It  is  asserted  that  in  many  instances  the 
Tories  were  more  cruel  than  the  Indians,  and  that  a 
chief  of  the  Mohawks  interposed  to  protect  the  help 
less.  One  man,  while  working  in  the  field,  saw  the 
Indians  between  himself  and  his  house.  He  fled  to 
the  woods  and  thus  escaped.  When  he  returned  to 
his  house  he  found  it  on  fire  and  his  wife  and  three 
children  killed.  Men  who  had  been  away  from  home 
on  business  returned  to  find  their  property  destroyed, 
homes  in  ashes,  and  their  loved  ones  either  murdered 
or  carried  into  captinty. 

Butler  and  Brant  with  their  captives  and  plunder,, 
marched  a  long  distance  into  the  forests  when  it  was 
decided  to  send  back  the  women  and  children,  except 
such  as  it  was  thought  best  to  retain  to  effect  an  ad 
vantageous  exchange  of  prisoners.  Campbell  in  his 
annals  of  Tryon  county  tells  us  that  not  a  single  build 
ing  was  left  in  the  settlement.  All  the  stores  and 
provisions  were  destroyed,  and  hardly  a  living  creature 
remained  except  the  few  soldiers  in  the  fort,  which  the 
Indians  wrere  not  brave  enough  to  capture.  This  post 
was  deserted  and  the  valley  was  a  scene  of  desolation 
until  peace  came,  when  the  survivors  of  that  terrible 
struggle  returned  and  rebuilt  their  homes,  and  culti 
vated  their  neglected  farms. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  PATRIOTS  IXVADE  THE  ONONDAGA  COUNTRY 

The  early  spring  of  the  year  1779  was  made  memor 
able  by  a  campaign  against  the  Onondagas.  This 
tribe  had  pursued  a  vacillating  policy,  pretending  at 
times  to  be  friendly  toward  the  cause  of  the  Colonists, 
but  nearly  always  working  with  the  British.  Rumors 
of  an  intended  invasion  by  Brant,  who  was  to  be  aided 
by  the  Onondagas  convinced  the  authorities  at  Albany 
that  the  time  had  come  when  this  tribe  should  be  treat 
ed  as  enemies;  so  an  expedition  was  secretly  planned 
which  set  out  in  the  fog  of  an  April  morning  and 
hastened  by  way  of  Oneida  Lake  to  their  territories. 

The  Indians  lived  in  a  series  of  villages  along  the 
Onondaga  creek  and  had  for  many  years  kept  the 
national  council  fire  burning.  Arriving  at  the  edge  of 
the  village  the  Provincials  separated  into  several  com 
panies  in  order  the  better  to  take  by  surprise  the  dif 
ferent  villages.  But  in  some  unknown  manner  the 
wily  foe  had  learned  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy, 
and  fled  leaving  everything  behind.  But  few  captives 
were  taken,  while  a  very  large  quantity  of  provisions 
were  destroyed,  and  many  guns  and  rifles  were  captur 
ed.  Their  council  house  and  three  entire  villages  were 
burned,  and  their  horses  and  cattle  were  killed.  It  is 
a  disputed  point  in  the  history  of  these  times  whether 
the  Onondagas  merited  such  chastisement.  But 
when  we  call  to  mind  the  raids  that  had  been  made  by 
the  Tories  and  Indians  upon  defenceless  settlements, 
and  that  many  of  the  patriot  soldiers  had  lost  friends 
and  relatives  in  these  midnight  raids,  we  wonder  at 
the  clemency  they  showed  in  their  treatment  of  the 
Indians  who  fell  into  their  power. 


THE  IROQUUIS 

The  Oneidas,  who  had  been  uniformly  on  the  side 
of  the  Patriots,  or  at  least  neutral  in  the  quarrel,  were 
greatly  excited  over  the  treatment  which  their  neigh 
bors,  the  Onondagas,  had  received,  and  sent  a  messen 
ger  to  ask  the  cause.  It  was  explained  to  them  that 
parties  from  that  nation  were  constantly  on  the  war 
path  and  that  scalps  were  found  in  their  castles.  If 
these  reasons  were  not  satisfactory  they  should  appeal 
to  the  commissioners  at  Albany.  It  does  not  appear 
that  the  Oneidas  followed  up  the  matter  any  further, 
and  there  it  dropped. 

DESCENT   UPON    PALATINE    AND   STONE    ARABIA. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  expedition  \vas  being 
made  against  the  Onondagas,  a  small  part}'  of  western 
Indians  entered  Palatine  where  they  captured  a  few 
prisoners  and  drove  the  frightened  people  into  the  fort. 
Seizing  several  horses  they  made  good  their  escape. 
A  party  of  Mohawks  made  a  descent  upon  Stone  Ara 
bia,  burned  several  houses  and  put  to  death  a  number 
of  the  inhabitants.  A  wandering  party  of  the  western 
Iroquois  also  entered  the  Schoharie  settlements  and 
marched  away  with  prisoners  and  plunder.  So  many 
incursions  at  various  points  at  the  same  time  created 
great  consternation  and  au  urgent  appeal  was  made  to 
General  Clinton  for  help.  Within  a  short  time  a  large 
force  was  marched  up  the  Mohawk,  much  to  the  re 
lief  of  the  settlers. 

THE  ONONDAGAS  SEEK  REVENGE 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  strong  and  warlike 
nation  would  be  frightened  into  submission  at  the  loss 
of  property  and  villages.  The  loss  of  the  ancient 
:ouncil  fire  called  forth  threats  of  dire  vengeance, 
and  within  a  short  time  three  hundred  of  their  fiercest 
warriors  were  on  their  way  to  the  east  determined  to 
wipe  out  their  recent  disgraces  in  the  blood  of  the 


TilK  REVOLUTION  SO 

hated  pale  face.  Their  intentions  evidently  wcie  to 
fall  upon  Cobleskill  and  capture  it  by  surprise.  But 
the  inhabitants,  having  been  warned,  sent  to  Schoharie 
for  aid,  and  soon  a  detachment  of  continental  troops 
were  on  their  way.  On  the  following  morning  a  small 
band  of  Indians  were  seen  in  the  edge  of  the  clearing. 
Nearly  the  whole  force  was  sent  out  to  give  them  bat 
tle.  The  Indians  retreated  into  the  forest  and  thus 
drew  the  Provincials  into  an  ambush.  Suddenly  the 
terrible  war  whoop  sounded  on  every  hand.  From 
every  tree  darted  forth  an  Indian  with  the  deadly  tom 
ahawk  and  scalping  knife.  Those  who  escaped  fled 
with  the  panic  stricken  inhabitants  to  the  Schoharie- 
kill.  Many  more  of  the  latter  would  have  perished 
had  not  a  few  braver  th^n  the  rest  entered  a  house  on 
the  road  and  held  the  Indians  at  bay  for  some  time. 
The  Onondagas  were  unable  to  dislodge  them,  so  they 
set  fire  to  the  building  and  the  brave  soldiers  perished 
in  the  flames.  The  entire  settlement  was  destroyed, 
and  more  than  twenty  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners. 
The  Indians,  doubtless  feeling  that  they  had  been 
amply  revenged,  returned  in  great  triumph  to  their 
homes. 

MASSACRE  AT  MINIS  INK 

Before  the  c^ose  of  the  year  the  ever  restless  Brant 
planned  another  attack  upon  the  exposed  settlements. 
This  time  the  blow  fell  upon  Minisink  in  Orange  coun 
ty.  At  the  head  of  a  small  band  of  his  Mohawks  and 
a  few  Tories,  who  were  acquainted  with  the  county, 
he  stole  upon  the  sleeping  settlement  and  set  many  of 
the  houses  on  fire  before  the  inhabitants  realized  that 
an  enemy  was  near.  Several  months  before  the  sold 
iers  formerly  stationed  there  had  been  removed,  leav 
ing  the  settlement  without  protection.  Panic  stricken 
they  fled  from  their  burning  homes,  leaving  the  in- 


90  THE  IROQUOIS 

vaders  to  riot  upon  the  spoils.  They  arrived  in  Gosh- 
en  in  a  pitiable  plight.  Nearly  all  had  rushed  from 
their  homes  with  little  or  •  no  preparation  for  such  a 
journey. 

The  entire  settlement  was  laid  waste,  crops  were  de 
stroyed  and  cattle  driven  away,  and  several  people 
were  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  Brant  and  his  small 
body  of  followers  took  what  booty  they  could  carry 
and  joined  the  main  body  of  his  army. 

Colonel  Tusten,  who  was  then  at  Goshen,  set  out  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men.  When  he  learned  the  numbei  of  Brant's  follow 
ers,  he  called  a  council  of  war  and  advised  not  attack 
ing  the  enemy  until  reinforcements  could  be  obtained. 
But  the  majority  would  not  listen  to  prudence  and  the 
march  was  immediately  resumed.  They  overtook 
Brant  near  the  mouth  of  Lackawaxen  creek.  Through 
some  lack  of  tactics  the  Continentals  became  separated 
and  the  Mohawk  leader  wheeled  his  men  into  the  gap 
and  closed  in  upon  the  main  body.  The  Patriots 
fought  like  demons  but  were  overwhelmed  by  num 
bers  and  nearly  all  killed.  When  the  order  was  given 
to  retreat  a  panic  ensued  and  the  Indians  fell  upon 
them  and  tomahawked  all  within  their  reach,  not  even 
sparing  the  wounded  or  the  attending  surgeons.  Only 
thirty  escaped  of  all  the  number  that  had  so  proudly 
left  their  homes  but  a  short  time  before  bent  on  revenge. 

Many  years  afterward  the  bones  of  the  slain  were 
gathered  and  buried  and  a  neat  marble  slab  was  erect 
ed  bearing  the  names  of  the  victims.  In  1862,  through 
the  generosity  of  Dr.  Cash,  a  neat  monument  was 
erected  comemorative  of  that  sad  affair. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

REV.  SAMUEL   KIRKLAND. 

Any  work  touching  the  history  of  the  Six  Nations 
ivould  be  incomplete -without,  at  least,  a  short  account 
of  the  most  famous  missionary  among  the  Iroquois,  one 
who  did  more  than  any  other  white  man  to  preserve 
the  friendship  of  the  Oneida  and  Tuscarora  Clans  for 
the  Patriots  during  their  long  struggle  for  political  free 
dom. 

Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  was  well  fitted  by  nature  for 
a  missionary  among  the  Indians.  He  had  great  con 
stitutional  strength,  and  was  vivacious,  courageous  and 
benevolent.  Devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Indian,  he 
labored  with  all  the  powers  of  a  great  and  noble  mind 
for  his  conversion.  He  first  went  among  the  Senecas, 
where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half.  He  made  friends 
among  them,  but  few  if  any  converts.  Unable  to  ac 
complish  much  among  these  tribes,  he  returned  east  and 
established  Joseph  \Vooley  as  a  teacher  among  the  Mo 
hawks.  They  went  by  way  of  Cherry  Valley  to  the 
famous  Indian  village  of  Onohogkwage,  where  they 
received  a  hearty  welcome.  The  Mohawks  were  de 
lighted  to  have  a  teacher  among  them,  and  they  prom 
ised  Mr.  Kirkland  to  take  good  care  of  Wooley,  after 
which  the  missionary  returned  to  Johnson  Hall,  where 
he  remained  till  mid-winter.  Here  he  made  prepara 
tions  to  return  to  the  Seneca  country. 

Accompanied  by  two  Seneca  Indians,  he  set  out  on 
snow  shoes  with  a  forty  pound  pack  of  clothing  and 
books  to  traverse  that  long  and  perilous  trail.  Unac 
customed  to  such  severe  exertions,  he  soon  began  to 
feel  the  effects  of  the  journey.  His  guides  went  ahead 
and  made  a  snow  shoe  road  for  him.  At  night  they 


92  THE  IROQUOIS 

would  clean  away  the  deep  snow  and  make  a  fire,  near 
which  a  bed  was  made  of  evergreen  boughs.  As  they 
travelled  farther  west,  his  sufferings  from  swollen  feet 
and  ankles  caused  by  walking  on  snow  shoes,  were  se 
vere,  and  he  must  have  perished  had  it  not  been  for  the 
kindness  of  his  guides.  At  the  principal  Oneida  vil 
lage,  he  remained  a  short  time  till  he  was  able  to  re 
sume  his  journey.  At  Onondaga  he  was  glad  to  again 
accept  the  hospitality  of  the  Indians,  who  assembled 
at  their  Council  house  to  hear  the  message  of  Sir  Wil 
liam  to  the  Senecas.  Mr.  Kirkland  took  special  pains 
to  record  that  "the  Council  house  was  So  feet  long  and 
contained  four  fires.  The  messenger  made  a  speech 
for  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  and  was  responded  to  by 
the  head  Sachem,  who  spoke  for  an  hour  like  Demos 
thenes.  ' '  After  the  Council  broke  up,  there  was  much 
hand  shaking  when  the  party  started  again  late  at  night 
on  their  journey  to  the  Seneca  country.  Twenty-three 
days  after  leaving  Johnson  Hall,  foot  sore,  and  almost 
exhausted,  he  arrived  at  Kanadasegea,  the  Capital  of 
the  Seneca  Nation.  After  discussing  the  matter  in1 
two  different  Councils  he  was  finally  adopted  by  the 
head  Sachem  and  placed  in  a  small  family.  Shortly 
afterward  his  host  suddenly  died.  This  placed  Mr. 
Kirkland  in  a  perilous  position,  but  he  finally  won  the 
confidence  of  the  Indians.  After  some  time  a  famine 
occurred  and  he  determined  to  set  out  for  Johnson  Hall 
for  provisions.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  Seneca  with 
his  squaw.  They  nearly  lost  their  lives  on  Oneida 
Lake  during  a  severe  storm,  but  finally  reached  the 
Hall  where  the  Indian  woman  died,  greatly  mourned 
by  her  husband. 

The  missionary  seems  to  have  been  able  to  accom 
plish  but  little  among  the  Senecas.  It  is  to  be  divided 
that  Mr.  Kirkland  did  not  write  fully  concerning. 


THE  REVOLUTION  93 

the  life  of  these  people  at  that  time.  It  would  have 
given  us  much  historical  information  which  now  can  not 
be  obtained.  In  the  summer  of  1766,  he  began  his 
work  among  the  Oneidas,  which  he  continued  for  forty 
years.  Here  he  built  him  a  home  and  associated  with 
him  in  his  work,  David  Fowler  and  his  wife,  two 
educated  Indians.  In  1769,  he  went  to  New  England, 
where  he  married  Miss  Jerusha  Bingham,  a  niece  of 
Dr.  Wheelock.  Mrs.  Kirkland  was  a  great  help  to  her 
husband  and  exerted  a  marked  influence  over  the 
Oneida  women. 

When  it  became  evident  that  there  was  to  be  a 
rupture  with  the  mother  country,  Mr.  Kirkland 
travelled  from  tribe  to  tribe  using  his  influence  to  pre 
serve  the  neutrality  of  the  Indians.  To  what  extent 
he  succeeded  has  already  been  mentioned.  For  about 
two  years  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  kept  out  of  the 
fight,  but  later  they  rallied  under  the  leadership  of  the 
celebrated  Oneida  chief — Skenando,  and  did  excellent 
service  for  the  patriot  cause. 

This  popular  chief  was  a  great  friend  of  Mr.  Kirk 
land,  and  one  of  the  wisest  councillors  the  Six  Na 
tions  ever  had.  He  died  at  the  age  of  no,  and  was 
buried  at  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  an  orchard  on  the  old 
Kirkland  homestead.  After  the  Revolution  the  mis 
sionary  set  about  to  repair  the  ravages  of  war,  collect 
the  scattered  families  and  rebuild  their  homes.  Mrs. 
Kirkland  died  in  1788,  and  it  was  about  this  time  that 
Mr.  Kirkland  wrote  an  account  of  the  Six  Nations. 

In  1791,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Donnelly  who  died  in 
Clinton  in  1839,  aged  &4-  One  daughter  married  Mr. 
J.  H.  Lathrop,  of  Utica;  another  Mr.  Francis  Amory, 
of  Boston,  and  a  third  Dr.  Edward  Robinson,  a  pro 
fessor  of  Hamilton  College. 

Mr.  Kirkland  made  great  efforts  to  found  a  school  at 


94  THE  IROQUOIS 

Clinton,  and  finally  secured  a  charter  for  Hamilton, 
Oneida .  Academy.  He  gave  a  large  tract  of  land  and 
set  apart  12  acres  as  a  site  for  a  school.  This  com 
mands  an  extensive  view  of  the  valley  and  village  and 
is  now  covered  with  a  great  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
with  class  memorials  and  modern  educational  buildings, 
making  it  one  of  the  pleasantest  college  sites  to  be 
found.  Here  is  also  preserved  the  little,  eld  house  in 
which  the  great  missionary  lived. 

Mr.  Kirkland  died  in  1808  and  was  buried  in  the 
land  he  helped  to  win  to  civilization,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter  on  one  side  and  the  "white  man's  friend, " 
Skenando,  on  the  other. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN 

So  frequent  had  been  the  forages  of  the  Indians, 
which  had  always  been  conducted  with  much  cruelty, 
that  it  was  decided  to  make  an  expedition  into  the 
land  of  the  Iroquois  and  "pay  them  off  in  their  owrn 
coin. ' ' 

Clinton  wras  ordered  to  collect  a  large  body  of  men 
at  Schenectady,  and  transporting  boats  and  provisions 
overland  to  the  head  of  Otsego  lake,  to  descend  the 
Susquehanna  and  join  Johnson  at  Tioga.  The  people 
along  the  Mohawk  and  in  the  adjoining  sections  re 
sponded  nobly  to  the  call  for  help,  and  in  a  few  days 
the  General  was  able  to  report  1500  men,  nearly  200 
boats  and  a  large  supply  of  provisions,  so  many  indeed 
that  General  Washington  declared  that  Clinton  would 
be  delayed  and  could  not  keep  his  movements  secret 
from  the  Indians. 

A  large  party  of  Oneidas  had  volunteered  to  join 
the  expedition,  but  on  receiving  information  that  they 
would  be  attacked  by  the  British  unless  they  remained 
neutral  they  decided  to  remain  at  home,  except  such 
few  as  might  individually  wish  to  act  as  guides  and 
runners. 

While  waiting  at  Otsego  lake  for  orders  from  Gener 
al  Sullivan,  Clinton  caused  the  waters  of  the  lake  to 
be  dammed  up.  thus  enabling  him  to  float  his  boats 
down  the  river  when  the  proper  time  should  arrive. 
He  was  kept  impatiently  waiting  until  near  the  middle 
of  August  by  the  slow  movement  of  General  Sullivan. 
When,  at  last,  he  received  word  to  proceed  down  the 
river,  he  embarked  his  troops  and  supplies,  and  letting 
out  the  waters  from  the  lake,  was  borne  rapidly  on  the 


00  THE  IROQUOIS 

swollen  river  toward  the  point  of  juncture  with  the 
greater  part  of  the  expedition.  The  few  scattered 
settlers  and  the  Indians  along  the  river  were  surprised 
to  see  their  crops  swept  away  by  a  sudden  rise  of 
water  in  the  river,  and  when  the  latter  considered  that 
there  had  been  no  rain  for  a  long  time,  the}'  concluded 
that  the  Great  Spirit  must  be  offended  with  them; 
while  the  sight  of  a  large  flotilla  of  soldiers  riding  upon 
the  bosom  of  a  river  that  had  never  floated  anything 
larger  than  a  birch  bark  canoe  struck  terror  to  the 
bravest  heart. 

Sometime  after  the  middle  of  August  the  united 
commands,  5000  strong  commenced  their  westward 
march  to  the  land  of  the  Cayugas  and  Senecas.  So 
long  had  General  Sullivan  been  making  his  prepara 
tions  that  the  Indians  had  become  apprised  of  his 
movements  and  had  thrown  up  earthworks  at  Newton, 
not  far  from  the  present  site  of  Elmira. 

BATTLE  OF    NEWTON 

The  arm)'  marched  with  the  greatest  caution  destroy 
ing  everything  on  the  route  that  might  in  any  way  aid 
the  Indians.  Late  in  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  ad 
vance  guard  came  upon  the  works  of  the  enemy. 
These  had  been  so  arranged  that  the}'  could  be  ap 
proached  only  in  front  and  on  the  left  flank  which 
rested  upon  a  high  ridge  thickly  covered  with  Indians, 
back  of  which  was  another  ridge  also  well  guarded. 
A  skirmishing  was  kept  up  until  the  main  body  of  the 
army  arrived  with  General  Sullivan.  He  immediately 
sent  a  brigade  to  carry  the  heights  and  turn  the  left 
flank  of  the  enemy  while  he  engaged  them  in  front. 
Then  was  fought  one  of  the  most  exciting  battles  re 
corded  in  Indian  history.  The  Indians  fought  for 
their  families,  their  lands  and  the  graves  of  their 
fathers.  The}-  contested  the  ground  inch  by  inch, 


SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN  N7 

springing  like  panthers  from  tree  to  tree,  refusing  to 
yield  even  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Brant,  the 
leader  of  the  Indians,  seeing  that  their  left  flank  must 
not  be  turned  at  any  cost,  was  everywhere  present 
leading  and  cheering  his  men.  The  fearful  battle  cries 
of  the  Indians  and  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  were 
drowned  by  the  thunder  of  the  cannon  in  the  valley 
below.  In  a  last  desperate  attempt  Brant  brought  a 
company  of  Johnson's  Rangers  to  the  help  of  his  hard 
pressed  followers,  but  too  late.  His  left  flank  was 
turned,  and  the  enemy  fearing  that  Sullivan's  men 
would  get  into  their  rear,  raised  their  cry  of  retreat 
and  fled  from  the  field.  So  precipitate  was  their  re 
treat  that  they  could  not  carry  away  all  their  dead 
with  them.  Their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was 
much  greater  than  that  of  the  American  army  which 
.sustained  a  loss  of  only  six  killed  and  less  than  50 
wounded.  These  together  with  the  heavy  artillery 
were  sent  back  to  Tioga,  while  the  greater  part  of  the 
arm}'  started  westward  in  light  marching  order.  Where- 
ever  they  came  to  buildings  and  growing  crops  they 
halted  long  enough  to  destroy  them  and  then  hurried 
on.  Why  the  Indians  did  not  oppose  them  at  some  of 
the  narrow  and  difficult  passes  does  not  appear.  In 
some  places  they  were  obliged  to  ford  streams  flanked 
by  high  hills  where  a  few  brave  men  could  have  delay 
ed  the  progress  of  a  large  arm}-. 

In  a  short  time  they  reached  Katherine's  town  at 
the  head  of  Seneca  lake.  This  they  laid  in  ashes,  and 
they  destroyed  crops  and  orchards  leaving  only  a  deso 
late  waste. 

CONDITION  OF  THE  SENEGAS  AND  CAVUGAS 

Much  has  been  written  both  for  and  against  Sulli 
van's  expedition.  The  Cayugas  and  Senecas  had 
reached  a  good  degree  of  civilization.  They  had  clear 
ed  large  tracts  of  land  0:1  which  they  raised  crops  that 


98  THE  IROQUOIS 

would  gladden  the  heart  of  any  farmer.  They  had 
excellent  orchards  of  apples,  pears,  and  peaches.  They 
had  large  towns  and  villages,  many  of  them  laid  out 
in  streets,  and  composed  of  framed  houses,  often  paint 
ed,  and  containing  many  of  the  necessities  of  civilized 
life.  The  only  advantage  that  the  Americans  could 
hope  to  attain  by  the  destruction  of  these  homes  was 
to  deprive  the  Indians  of  the  means  of  subsistence  for 
the  coming  winter  and  thus  throw  their  support  upon 
the  British  at  Niagara. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SENECA  CAPITAL 

Every  where  the  terror  stricken  Indians  fled  before 
Sullivan's  army.  In  a  short  time  they  reached  the 
beautiful  Seneca  capital,  Kanadaseagea,  surrounded  by 
large  fields  covered  with  crops  and  fruit  orchards.  The 
inhabitants  had  fled  leaving  their  winter  supplies,  their 
orchards,  the  product  of  years  of  toil,  their  comfortable 
homes,  to  the  mercies  of  a  revengeful  invader.  Several 
towns  in  this  locality  were  destroyed,  and  the  army 
left  in  its  track  only  scenes  of  destruction  and  devasta 
tion.  The  towns  of  Kanandaigua  and  Honeoye  were 
wiped  out  together  with  great  stores  of  grain,  vegeta 
bles  and  fruit.  From  this  place  preparations  were 
made  to  march  upon  Genesee,  the  large  village  of  the 
tribe. 

BATTLE  OF  GENESEE. 

Here  the  Indians  placed  their  women  and  children 
out  of  reach  of  the  Americans  and  prepared  to  defend 
their  town.  A  sharp  skirmish  ensued  when  the 
Indians  suddenly  turned  and  fled.  The  soldiers  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  beaut}'  and  fertility  of  the 
Genesee  valley.  Sullivan  in  his  report  said  "The 
town  of  Genesee  contained  128  houses,  mostly  large 
and  very  elegant.  It  was  beautifully  situated,  almost 
encircled  with  a  clear  flat,  extending  a  number  of 
miles,  over  which  extensive  fields  of  corn  were  waving, 


SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN  99 

together  with  every  kind  of  vegetable  that  could  be 
conceived."  After  quoting  the  foregoing,  the  histor 
ian  Stone  goes  on  to  say,  "But  the  entire  army  was 
immediately  engaged  in  destroying  it,  and  the  axe  and 
the  torch  soon  transformed  the  whole  of  that  beauti 
ful  region  from  the  character  of  a  garden  to  a  scene  of 
drear  and  sickening  desolation.  Forty  Indian  towns, 
the  largest  containing  128  houses  were  destroyed. 
Corn,  gathered  and  ungathered,  to  the  amount  of 
160,000  bushels,  shared  the  same  fate;  their  fruit 
trees  were  cut  down;  and  the  Indians  were  hunted 
like  wild  beasts,  till  neither  house,  nor  fruit  tree,  nor 
field  of  corn,  nor  inhabitant,  remained  in  the  whole 
•country.  The  gardens  were  enriched  with  great  quan 
tities  of  useful  vegetables,  of  different  kinds.  The  size 
of  the  cornfields,  as  well  as  high  degree  of  cultivation 
in  which  they  were  kept,  excited  wonder;  and  the  ears 
of  corn  were  so  remarkably  large,  that  many  of  them 
measured  twenty  inches  in  length.  So  numerous  were 
the  fruit  trees,  that  in  one  orchard  they  cut  down 
fifteen  hundred."  From  this  point  General  Sullivan 
seems  to  have  turned  back,  retracing  his  steps  over  the 
devastated  district  to  Tioga.  On  the  route  he  sent 
detachments  to  the  small  villages  and  fields  lying 
several  miles  from  the  main  traveled  road.  On  these 
raids  9  towns  and  villages,  including  the  capital  of  the 
Cayugas,  were  destroyed,  besides  great  quantities  of 
provisions,  and  large  numbers  of  fruit  trees. 

Why  General  Sullivan  did  not  continue  his  journey 
to  the  seat  of  British  power  among  the  Indians  at 
Niagara,  from  which  Tory  and  Indian  raids  were  so 
frequently  made,  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explain 
ed.  Certainly  this  was  one  of  the  objects  which  the 

Commander-in-chief  had  in  view  when  he   ordered  the 

* 

organization  of  the  expedition.     It  could  not  have  been 
because  cf  the  weakness  of  his  army.      He  had   fought 


100  THE  IROQUOIS 

no  great  battle,  except  at  Newton,  and  his  soldiers  had 
enjoyed  excellent  health.  Niagara  was  in  no  condi 
tion  to  withstand  an  attack,  and  had  no  time  to  bring 
reinforcements  from  Montreal  or  Quebec  Finally  it 
could  not  be  lack  of  provisions  for  his  soldiers  destroy 
ed  enough  to  have  sustained  an  army  many  times  its 
size  during  a  much  longer  campaign.  To  be  sure  he 
brought  the  hardships  of  war  home  to  those  who  had 
made  so  many  raids  against  the  white  settlers;  but 
instead  of  subduing  them  he  only  aroused  them  to  a 
greater  frenzy  for  revenge.  Stone  says  '  'Stimulated 
by  a  yet  keener  thirst  for  revenge,  clouds  of  savages 
were  afterward  again  and  again  seen  to  sweep  through 
the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  with  the  scalping  knife  and 
the  torch."  And  who  can  blame  the  red  man  then 
"driven  from  his  beautiful  country,  his  habitations 
laid  in  ruins,  his  fields  laid  waste,  his  orchards 
uprooted,  his  altars  and  the  tombs  of  his  fathers  over 
thrown.  ' ' 

ARRKST  OF  THE  MOHAWKS  AT  THE  LOWER  CASTLE 

When  the  Johnson's  and  other  Tories  influenced  the 
Mohawks  to  accompany  them  to  Canada,  there  was 
one  clan  which  refused  to  accompany  them.  This  clan 
lived  at  the  Lower  Castle  on  the  Mohawk  river,  on 
terms  of  friendship  with  their  white  neighbors,  pre 
serving  a  strict  neutrality.  General  Sullivan  had 
been  informed  that  these  Indians  w^re  acting  as  spies 
and  secretly  aiding  and  encouraging  those  Tories  and 
Indians  who  were  making  frequent  raids  into  the 
Mohawk  and  Cherry  Valleys. 

On  the  return  inarch  he  ordered  Colonel  Gansevoort 
to  proceed  down  the  Mohawk  valley  and  capture  the 
entire  clan,  burn  their  castle  and  carry  them  prisoners 
to  Albany.  When  the  Colonel  arrived  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  castle  he  learned  that  the  Indians  were 
even  then  sheltering  those  \\hite  people  who  had 


sl'LUVAN'S  CAMPAIGN  101 

recently  been  deprived  of  their  homes  by  Indian  and 
Tory  raids.  The  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  begged 
him  not  to  destroy  the  property  of  the  clan ,  consisting 
of  homes  as  convenient  as  many  owned  by  the  white 
settlers;  of  stores  of  provisions,  and  of  cows,  horses 
and  wagons.  However  the  Colonel  carried  them  all 
captives  to  Albany  where  General  Schuyler  procured 
their  release. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  ONEIDA  CASTLE 

The  winter  which  followed  the  invasion  of  Sullivan 
has  come  down  in  history  as  one  of  the  most  severe 
known  to  have  occurred  on  this  continent.  The  Indians 
whose  property  had  been  destroyed  were  compelled  to 
seek  food  and  shelter  of  the  British  at  Niagara.  A 
great  many  fell  sick,  and  not  a  few  perished  from 
hunger  and  exposure. 

Some  time  during  this  winter  the  Indians  and  Tories 
made  a  raid  against  the  Oneidas,  destroyed  their  vil 
lage  and  castle,  and  drove  them  down  the  Mohawk 
where  the  colonists  settled  them  near  Schenectady 
and  supported  them  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Dr. 
Kirkland  said  that  ''this  dispersion  of  the  Oneidas, 
and  the  devastation  of  their  country,  were  greatly  det 
rimental  to  their  nation.  When  the  war  came  on, 
they  had  attained  to  some  degree  of  regularity,  indus 
try,  and  prosperity.  But,  driven  from  their  homes, 
reduced  to  want,  dependence,  and  abject  poverty, 
their  habits  became  more  intemperate  and  idle  than 
ever,  and  they  never  recovered  from  their  depression. ' ' 

RAID  OF  HARPERSFIELD 

Brant,  actuated  by  the  strongest  feelings  of  revenge 
on  account  of  the  sufferings  of  his  people,  began  early 
in  the  spring  to  prepare  for  the  destruction  of  the 
frontier  settlements.  Early  in  April  at  the  head  of  a 
band  of  Tories  and  Indians  he  fell  upon  the  settlement 
of  Harpersfield  and  destroyed  it,  killing  a  few  and 
taking  several  prisoners.  He  then  set  out  through  the 
forests  toward  the  upper  Schoharie  fort.  He  suddenly 
fell  in  with  a  small  band  of  militia  who  were  engaged 


INDIAN  RAIDS  1<M 

in  making  maple  sugar  while  they  kept  watch  for  any 
straggling  bands  of  the  enemy.  When  busily  engaged 
in  their  work  they  heard  the  appalling  war  whoop  and 
the  deadly  crack  of  the  rifle.  Those  who  survived  the 
first  onslaught  were  taken  prisoners.  Brant  was  de 
ceived  into  the  belief  that  the  fort  had  recently  been 
strongly  reinforced,  and  so  he  retraced  his  steps  to 
Niagara.  '  The  journey  was  one  of  great  peril  to 
the  prisoners,  and  Brant  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost 
to  save  their  lives  from  the  revenge  of  his  followers. 
Added  to  this  all  suffered  extremely  from  the  want  of 
food.  However,  many  of  them  lived  through  the  ter 
rible  ordeal  and  finally  returned  to  their  desolate  homes. 
As  spring  advanced,  and  the  snow  disappeared, 
roving  bands  af  Indians,  often  guided  by  Tories,  fell 
upon  the  exposed  settlements  in  all  directions,  even 
going  as  far  south  as  Orange  county. 

RAID  ON  LITTLE  FALLS 

One  of  these  raids  was  made  upon  a  settlement  near 
\vhat  is  now  the  village  of  Little  Falls.  The  only 
important  mills  for  grinding  flour  for  several  miles 
were  situated  at  this  place  and  owned  by  a  Mr.  Ellis. 
But  few  men  were  at  the  mills  at  the  time  and  not  pre 
pared  for  an  attack.  They  tried  to  escape,  but  most 
of  them  were  taken  prisoners,  and  the  property  was 
entirely  distroyed. 

SIR  JOHN  JOHSON'S  RAID  INTO  JOHNSTOWN 

When  the  Johnsons  left  the  country  for  Canada  they 
left  a  large  amount  of  treasure  and  several  slaves  at 
their  old  home  at  Johnstown.  Sir  John  determined  to 
secure  these,  and  at  the  same  time  severely  punish 
those  whig  neighbors  who  had  been  the  cause  of  all 
his  troubles.  One  dark  night  in  early  spring  he  enter 
ed  Johnstown  at  the  head  of  about  250  Tories  and 
Indians,  while  a  company  of  nearly  the  same  number 
were  sent  to  destroy  all  the  dwellings  along  the 


104  THE  IROQ'iJUlS 

Mohawk  except  those  belonging  to  Tories.  The  houses 
were  plundered  and  burned  and  most  of  their  inhabi 
tants  killed  or  made  prisoners. 

Sir  John,  avoiding  the  small  garrison,  marched  to 
his  old  home,  secured  20  slaves,  and  a  large  amount  of 
treasure,  which  was  carried  away  in  the  knapsacks  of 
40  soldiers.  He  collected  also  a  band  of  loyalists,  after 
which  he  united  his  forces  and  \vith  his  prisoners  and 
booty  returned  unmolested  to  Canada.  He  wisely 
avoided  the  usual  traveled  routes  and  so  the  army  sent 
by  Governor  Clinton  was  unable  to  capture  his  forces. 
When  we  consider  that  the  entire  country  was  panic 
stricken,  and  that  the  people  cruelly  murdered  were 
tne  old  neighbors  of  Sir  John,  many  of  whom  had 
rendered  acts  of  kindness  to  himself  and  to  different 
members  of  his  family,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  place  this 
act  among  the  most  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  of  that  ter 
rible  border  strife.  Stone  says,  "The  irruption,  how 
ever,  was  one  of  the  most  indefensible  aggressions 
upon  an  unarmed  and  slumbering  people,  which  stain 
the  annals  of  the  British  arms." 

BRANT  DESTROYS  CANAJOHARIE 

On  the  summer  following  this  incursion  a  large 
supply  of  provisions  was  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Schuyler, 
and,  as  a  rumor  had  been  spread  abroad  that  Brant 
was  intending  to  capture  these,  all  the  militia  around 
Canajoharie  was  called  out  to  help  protect  the  escort 
from  attack.  The  wily  Indian  leader  then  feU  upon 
the  defenceless  settlements  and  laid  them  waste.  In 
Almon's  Remembrancer  we  read  "that  in  the  Canajo 
harie  settlement  99  buildings  were  burnt,  17  persons 
killed,  and  52  taken  prisoners.  On  the  Schoharie  27 
buildings  burnt,  7  persons  killed,  and  21  taken  prison 
ers.  At  Normanskill  there  were  20  houses  burnt.'' 
"The  forts  destroyed  by  Brant  at  Canajoharie,  were 
built  by  the  people  themselves,  but  had  not  yet  been 


INDIAN    RAIDS  103 

garrisoned.  The  inhabitants  had  complained  bitterly 
that  they  were  thus  compelled  to  leave  their  own  fire 
sides  unprotected,  to  assist  the  government  in  re-open 
ing  the  communication  with  Fort  Schuyler.  But  being 
assured  that  their  town  could  be  in  no  danger,  they 
submitted  to  the  order,  and  their  militia  marched  to 
the  upper  section  of  the  valley.  The  result  was  de 
plorable  enough;  while  the  success  of  his  stratagem 
added  another  plume  to  the  crest  of  the  '  'The  Great 
Captain  of  the  Six  Nations. "  (  Stone. ;  Sir  John  John 
son  and  Brant,  not  satisfied  with  the  excursions  sepa 
rately  undertaken,  determined  to  unite  their  forces  and 
enter  upon  a  campaign  of  destruction  that  would,  if 
possible  eclipse  Sullivan's  expedition. 

SIR  JOHN  AND    BRANT    UNITE    TO    DESTROY    ALL    THE 

VALLEY   SETTLEMENTS 

In  the  summer  following  the  Johnstown  expedition, 
Sir  John  collected  a  force  composed  of  his  Royal  Greens, 
a  number  of  Mohawks,  a  detachment  of  Butler's- 
rangers,  and  a  company  of  regulars  and  ascending  the 
St.  Lawrence  he  crossed  over  the  country  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Susquehanna  where  he  united  his  forces 
with  those  of  Brant  and  Cornplanter.  They  were  pro 
vided  with  excellent  arms  and  a  large  amount  of 
ammunition,  and  according  to  the  report  of  Mar> 
Jemison,  the  Indians  never  went  upon  the  war  path 
vowing  deeper  vengeance  against  the  usurpers  of  their 
hunting  grounds.  From  the  Susquehanna  they 
crossed  the  hills  to  the  Schoharie  Valley.  Silently 
passing  the  upper  fort  they  began  the  work  of  destruc 
tion  in  the  early  dawn.  Those  in  the  middle  fort  were 
first  apprised  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  by  the 
sight  of  the  burning  buildings.  The  commandant  sent 
out  a  company  of  volunteers,  but  they  soon  learned 
that  they  were  opposed  by  a  large  body  of  Indians  and 
Tories,  when  they  quietly  retreated.  The  fortress  wras. 


106  THE  IROQUOIS 

quickly  surrounded,  and   Sir   John   planted   his   little 
battery  on  a  rise  of  ground  commanding  the  place.     A 
flag  of  truce  was  sent  toward   the   fort   but  was   fired 
upon    by  the    intrepid    Murphy  of    Schoharie    fame. 
Thereupon  Sir  John  began  a  brisk  fire   which   did   no 
special  damage.     After  a  time  a   second    flag  of  truce 
was   sent   which   was   again    fired    upon    by  Murphy. 
When  Sir  John  could  find  no  other  means  of  access  to 
the  fort  he  determined    to  take  it  by  assault.     Having 
arranged  his  men  for  that  purpose  he   sent   forward  a 
third  flag  of  truce  which  Murphy   again   drove   back. 
All  at  once  the  Tories  raised  the  siege   and   continued 
their  march  down  the   river,  burning   and   plundering 
as  they  went.     The  crops  were   unusually   large   that 
year,  and   the   settlers   were   entirely    unprepared  for 
such  an  invasion,  consequently  every  thing   known  to 
belong  to  a  Whig  wras  totally  destroyed,  besides  several 
killed   and    a   large    number   taken    prisoners.     The 
historian  Stone  tells  us  that  Sir  John  had  ordered  that 
the  church  at  the  middle  fort  should  not  be  destroyed. 
How  well  his  commands  were  obeyed  is   shown  by  the 
following  quotation  from  a    paper   read    by   the    Hon. 
Geo.  L.  Danforth    at    the  centennial  of  the  Old  Dutch 
church  at  Middleburgh.      "And  now  coming  down  to 
the  terrible   but  glorious  lyth  day   of   October,    1780, 
terrible    in    its    work   of   destruction   and  desolation, 
glorious  in  the  perfect  defence   and   triumphant   resis 
tance  of  the   three   forts — before   the   suit   begins   his 
career  that  day  we  hear  the  boom  of  the  alarm  gun  at 
the  upper  fort  5  miles  awray,  and  the  guns  of  our   fort 
over  there  answer,  aye,  aye!     We  wait   and   watch   in 
feverish  suspense,  and  soon  we  see  the   advance   down 
the  valley  of  the  British,  Tories  and  Indians,  working 
their  way  by  smoke  and  flame.     They   reach   Weiser- 
dorf;  and  barns  and  dwellings,  stacks  of  hay  and  straw, 
yield  to  the  barbarous  torch,   and   with   an   additional 


INDIAN  RAIDS  107 

pang  of  sorrow,  we  see  the  lurid  flames  mount  the 
sides  and  circle  the  steeple  of  the  old  Dutch  meeting 
house,  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  heroic  band  who 
stand  at  the  middle  fort  ready  to  receive,  and  able  to 
roll  back  the  shock  and  charge  of  the  coming  foe. ' ' 

Farther  down  the  valley  Sir  John  divided  his  forces 
sending  the  Regulars  down  the  valley  while  the 
Indians  skirted  the  clearings  along  the  foot  of  the  range 
of  hills  at  the  left.  They  halted  but  a  little  while  at 
the  lower  fort,  and  evidently  not  being  courageous 
enough  to  make  an  assault,  continued  their  work  of 
devastation  as  far  as  Fort  Hunter  where  they  encamped 
for  the  night.  There  he  remained  long  enough  to 
send  out  small  parties  in  all  directions  to  destroy  every 
piece  of  property  that  could  be  found  and  to  secure 
prisoners.  When  the  entire  country  had  become  a 
scene  of  desolation  and  waste  he  proceeded  up  the 
Mohawk  completely  destroying  every  thing  on  both 
banks  of  the  river. 

General  Van  Rensselaer  hearing  of  the  invasion  of 
the  Schoharie  valley  set  out  in  pursuit.  He  camped 
but  a  few  miles  from  Sir  John' s  motley  troop,  but  de 
layed  long  enough  to  allow  a  detachment  of  the  enemy 
to  branch  off  to  the  north  to  attack  Fort  Paris  in  Stone 
Arabia.  This  fortress  was  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Brown  who,  by  the  direction  of  General  Van 
Rensselaer,  immediately  marched  with  his  small  troop 
to  meet  the  foe.  But  the  general  failed  to  co-operate 
with  him  and  he  and  his  brave  followers  were  over 
powered  and  many  were  killed.  Those  who  escaped 
fled  to  Fort  Plain.  The  scattered  detachments  of  Sir 
John's  troops  continued  their  work  of  devastation 
gradually  marching  towards  the  west  and  collecting  at 
a  place  called  "Klock's  Field."  The  enemy  selected 
a  field  of  battle  so  as  to  be  protected  on  one  side  by  the 
bend  of  the  river.  Sir  John's  immediate  followers 


108  THE  IROQUOIS 

were  place:!  in  the  front  with  Brant's  Indians  on  tile- 
flank.  The  patriot  army  numbering  now  about  1500' 
men  did  not  come  up  with  the  enemy  until  late  in  the 
afternoon  when  an  attack  was  immediately  made. 
The  Indians  were  soon  put  to  flight,  but  darkness  com 
ing  on,  the  General  would  not  allow  a  pursuit.  The 
next  morning  Sir  John  had  disappeared.  One  noted 
historian  declares  that  had  the  Continental  troops  kept 
up  the  fight  and  pursuit  for  a  short  time  they  would 
have  had  the  enemy  completely  hemmed  in  the  bend 
of  the  river  where  they  would  have  been  obliged  to 
surrender.  The  flying  enemy  were  pursued  rapidly  as 
far  as  Fort  Herkimer  from  which  point  General  Van 
Rensselaer  sent  word  to  his  advance  guard  of  Oneidas 
and  militia  to  continue  the  pursuit.  The  Oneida  chief, 
finding  himself  in  the  rear  of  the  flying  enemy,  and 
learning  that  he  was  not  supported  by  the  main  part  of 
the  army  turned  back,  and  thus  ended  what  might 
have  been  a  glorious  victory  for  the  patriots  had  the 
campaign  been  conducted  with  more  energy. 

A  small  company  had  been  sent  from  Fort  Schuyler 
to  destroy  the  boats  which  Sir  John  had  left  to  convey 
his  troops  back  to  Oswego.  Sir  John  surprised  these, 
took  them  prisoners  and  proceeded  on  his  way  unmo 
lested. 

The  winter  which  followed  brought  great  distress  to 
all  the  outposts  of  the  north.  The  Indians  and  Tories 
had  destroyed  so  many  provisions  the  preceding  au 
tumn  that  the  settlers  could  scarcely  support  their 
families.  As  a  result  they  had  but  very  little  to  send 
to  the  army.  Brant  kept  warriors  constantly  watching 
the  Mohawk  valley  so  as  to  cut  off  supplies  going  west 
to  Fort  Schuyler.  No  one  could  travel  except  under  a 
strong  escort,  without  being  captured  by  some  band  of 
roving  Indians.  During  the  late  winter  and  early 
spring  Brant  captured  a  number  of  scouts  and  no  small 


INDIAN  RAIDS  109 

amount  of  provisions.  Added  to  all  this  the  Oneidas 
were  no  longer  in  a  safe  position,  for  Brant  had  shown 
great  hatred  toward  them  and  was  likely  at  any  time 
to  attempt  their  destruction. 

The  courage  of  the  settlers  had  sunk  to  its  lowest 
point  by  the  repeated  incursions  of  the  Tories  and 
Indians  when  Colonel  "Willett  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  militia  for  the  defence  of  the  country 
against  the  raids  of  the  barbarians.  Scarcely  had  he 
entered  upon  his  command  before  he  had  an  opportuni 
ty  to  display  his  abilities  as  an  Indian  fighter. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  CURRIETOWN 

Early  in  the  summer  a  band  of  Indians  attacked  and 
burned  the  settlement  of  Currietown  and  retreated  to 
their  night  encampment  in  a  dense  forest.  Colonel 
Willett  quickly  raised  a  band  of  volunteers  and  pro 
ceeded  to  surprise  them  while  asleep,  but  found  it  im 
possible  to  reach  them  before  daylight  of  the  following 
morning.  The  Indians  learning  of  their  approach  took 
a  more  favorable  position  and  wraited  their  appearance. 
A  small  number  was  sent  in  advance  to  draw  out  the 
Indians.  They  fled  at  the  first  fire  followed  by  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy.  These  were  met  by  the  main 
body  of  Willett' s  meli  who  poured  in  a  deadly  fire. 
At  the  same  time  the  Indians  tried  to  turn  his  right 
wing.  Failing  in  both  attempts  the)'  betook  them 
selves  to  trees  and  attempted  th.2  usual  Indian  tactics. 
Soon  the  settlers  cheered  on  by  their  gallant  leader, 
chased  the  Indians  out  o:  the  woods  and  down  the 
Susquehanna  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Colonel 
Willett' s  loss  of  men  was  small  while  the  Iroquois  lost 
more  than  an  eighth  of  the  number  engaged,  besides 
all  of  their  camp  and  plunder. 

LAST    INVASION    OF  THE  MOHAWK    VALLEY. 

It  remains  to  record  the  last  serious  invasion  of    the 
Mohawk  valley  by  the  Tories  and  Indians.     The  John- 


110  THE  IROQUOIS 

sons  and  their  Tory  neighbors  were  constantly  moved 
by  a  great  hatred  toward  the  whig  residents  of  the 
valley,  and  so  were  constantly  planning  for  their  de 
struction.  In  October  of  1781  Major  Ross  assisted  by 
Butler  and  his  son  suddenly  appeared  at  Warrensbush 
near  the  junction  of  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  rivers 
and  began  the  work  of  plundering  and  burning.  They 
crossed  the  river  not  far  from  Tribe's  Hill  and  marched 
rapidly  towards  Johnstown  killing  and  taking  Whig 
prisoners  and  destroying  all  their  property.  Colonel 
Willett,  learning  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  made 
ever}7  effort  to  collect  the  scattered  militia.  By  a 
forced  night  march  he  reached  Fort  Hunter  the  fol 
lowing  morning.  Having  forded  the  river  he  overtook 
the  enemy  not  far  from  Johnstown.  He  divided  his 
force  into  two  divisions,  and  sent  Major  Rowley  by  a 
circuitous  route  to  fall  upon  their  rear  \vhile  he  en 
gaged  them  in  front.  The  battle  had  scarcely  begun 
when  the  militia  broke  and  fled,  nor  was  Willett  able 
to  stop  their  retreat  until  they  had  reached  a  stone 
church  far  in  the  rear.  The  enemy  were  rejoicing  over 
their  easy  victory  and  were  busy  cutting  down  and 
scalping  stragglers  when  Major  Powley's  division  fell 
upon  their  rear.  Another  genera1!  battle  ensued  which 
continued  till  near  dark  when  Willett  succeeded  in 
reorganizing  a  company  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  their 
companions  in  arms.  The  enemy  hard  pressed  on  all 
sides  maintained  a  stubborn  resistance  till  dark  when 
they  broke  and  fled. 

The  brave  colonel  remained  that  night  upon  the 
field  of  battle  endeavoring  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of 
the  wounded.  As  soon  as  possible  he  sent  a  detach 
ment  to  Oneida  lake  to  destroy  the  boats  of  the  enemy, 
and  a  scouting  party  to  follow  the  movements  of  Ross 
and  Butler.  The  former  failed  in  their  undertaking, 
but  the  latter  discovered  the  course  of  the  fleeing  army 


INDIAN  RAIDS  111 

and  Willett  set  out  in  pursuit.  He  overtook  a  small 
body  of  them  not  far  from  the  northern  line  of  the 
Royal  Grant.  A  sharp  fight  ensued  when  some  were 
killed,  others  taken  prisoners,  while  the  remainder 
fled.  The  Patriots  pressed  on  in  hot  pursuit  and  over 
took  Butler  at  Jersey  Field,  where  a  short  battle  was 
fought  resulting  in  the  death  of  many  of  the  enemy. 
It  was  in  this  battle  that  an  Oneida  killed  the  noted 
Tory  leader,  Walter  N.  Butler,  whose  body  was  left  in 
the  wilderness  without  burial.  We  quote  from  Stone, 
"So  perished  Walter  N.  Butler,  one  of  the  greatest 
scourges,  as  he  was  one  of  the  most  fearless  men,  of 
his  native  county.  No  other  event  of  the  whole  war 
created  so  much  joy  in  the  Mohawk  valley  as  the  news 
of  his  decease." 

The  death  of  their  leader  caused  a  panic  among  the 
enemy  and  they  fled  in  all  directions  not  occupied  by 
the  pursuing  Patriots.  Night  put  an  end  to  the  pur 
suit,  although  it  is  said  that  the  fleeing  Tories  did  not 
halt  until  the  following  day.  Colonel  Willett  left 
them  to  pursue  their  dreadful  march  through  the  snows 
of  a  trackless  wilderness,  nearly  100  miles  without 
food  and  without  blankets',  while  he  returned  in  tri 
umph  with  a  large  number  of  prisoners  and  with  the 
loss  of  but  a  single  man. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

EVENTS  SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  REVOLUTION. 

In  the  treaty  of  peaca  in  '82  Great  Britain  made  no 
stipulation  in  behalf  of  the  Red  Men  who  had  so  nobly 
fought  for  her.  Having  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  the 
side  which  was  vanquished,  by  the  usages  of  war  it 
would  be  expected  that  the  conqueror  would  deprive 
them  of  the  soil  over  which  they  and  their  fathers  had 
roamed  so  many  years.  But  Washington  and  Schuyler 
both  labored  writh  the  authorities  of  New  York  to  give 
them  sections  of  land  on  which  they  might  live  per 
manently  subject  to  the  general  control  of  the  State  as 
they  had  formerly  been  under  the  rule  of  Great  Britain. 
A  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  government 
and  of  the  Six  Nations  was  held  at  Fort  Stanwix  where 
the  matter  was  discussed.  Red  Jacket,  a  famous 
Indian  orator  and  a  rival  of  both  Brant  and  Cornplan- 
ter,  in  an  eloquent  speech  opposed  such  an  arrange 
ment;  but  Cornplanter  clearly  foreseeing  the  folly  of 
striving  longer  in  arms  against  the  Americans,  urged 
the  Indians  to  accept  the  best  terms  they  could  get  and 
be  content  to  live  in  peace.  It  was  finally  agreed  that 
the  Iroqitois  should  occupy  certain  large  tracts  of  land, 
all  of  which  must  lie  east  of  a  north  and  south  line 
running  through  Buffalo.  This  treaty  caused  great 
dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians,  and  Red  Jacket 
took  this  opportunity  to  draw  much  of  Cornplanter' s 
influence  to  himself.  The  latter  was  rewarded,  as  will 
appear  later,  by  the  gift  of  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
Alleghany  river  in  Pennsylvania,  which  was  to  belong 
to  him  and  his  heirs  forever.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  the  English  commission  had  promised,  no  matter 


EVENTS  SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  REVOLUTION    113 

what  the  outcome  of  the  war  might  be,  to  furnish  the 
Mohawks  with  as  valuable  hunting  grounds  as  they 
then  possessed.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Brant  urged  their 
claims  upon  the  British  government  and  was  offered  a 
large  tract  of  land  north  of  Lake  Ontario,  but  the 
Mohawks  did  not  wish  to  be  removed  so  far  from  their 
confederates,  the  Senecas,  who  urged  them  to  settle  on 
their  lands  within  New  York.  But  inasmuch  as  they 
had  cast  their  fortunes  with  the  English,  Brant  pre 
ferred  to  have  his  people  live  on  British  soil;  so  he 
succeeded  in  getting  the  grant  changed  to  a  location 
nearer  the  Senecas.  They  finally  settled  on  a  tract  of 
land  "six  miles  on  each  side  of  the  river,  from  the 
mouth  to  its  source,"  viz:  the  Ouise  or  Grand  River, 
flowing  into  Lake  Erie  on  the  north  about  40  miles 
from  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 

Brant  at  once  began  to  work  for  the  moral  and  intel 
lectual  uplifting  of  his  people.  He  encouraged  the 
work  of  the  missionaries  and  caused  portions  of  the 
New  Testament  to  be  translated  and  printed  in  the 
Mohawk  language. 

At  his  death  he  \vas  succeeded  by  his  son  John  who 
with  his  warriors  aided  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812. 

We  will  close  this  chapter  by  quoting  from  the  his 
torian  Lossing.  "From  time  to  time  after  1785  the 
State  and  individuals  piocured  lands  from  the 
Indians  by  cession  or  by  purchase.  The  Tuscaroras 
and  Oneidas  first  parted  \vith  some  of  their  territories 
in  1785.  In  1788  both  the  Oneidas  and  the  Ononda- 
gas  disposed  of  all  their  lands  excepting  some  reserva 
tions,  and  in  1789  the  Cayugas  ceded  all  their  lands  to 
the  State,  excepting  a  reservation  near  Cayuga  Lake. 
In  each  case  thi  right  of  free  hunting  and  fishing  in 
all  the  counties  was  reserved." 

"The  Senecas  parted  with  most  of  their  territory  in 
1 795.  The  same  year  the  Mohawks,  most  of  whom 


114  THE  IROQUOIS 

fled  to  Canada  at  the  close  of  the  war,  relinquished  all 
their  lands  to  the  State  for  a  consideration.  So  late  as 
1819  there  were  about  5,000  of  the  Six  Nations  in  the 
State,  in  possession,  in  eleven  reservations,  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy-one  thousand  acres  of  land.  In 
1838  these  lands  had  been  disposed  of,  nearly  all  the 
titles  extinguished,  and  the  Indian  population  had 
removed  westward  across  the  Mississippi  River. I  Such 
\vas  the  final  act  in  the  drama  of  the  once  powerful 
barbarian  republic  in  the  State  of  New  York — the  great 
Iroquois  League.  It  has  disappeared  from  the  face  of 
the  earth  and  entered  the  realm  of  past  history/^' 

A  few,  however,  of  the  different  clans  remain  to 
preserve  the  customs  and  traditions  of  their  fathers. 
Hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  the  aggressive  and  grasping 
Anglo  Saxon,  they  sigh  for  the  departed  glory  of  the 
days  before  the  white  man  touched  these  shores,  when 
their  rule  extended  from  the  lordly  Hudson  to  the 
Mississippi,  and  from  the  rushing  St.  Lawrence  to  the 
peaceful  Carolinas.  When  we  contemplate  how  quickly 
this  great  division  of  the  human  family  have  lost  the 
most  beautiful  land  upon  which  the  sun  smiles,  how 
the  ploughshare  of  the  invader  turns  up  the  bones  of 
their  forefathers,  their  customs  and  traditions  despised, 
and  themselves  outcasts  and  wanderers  among  a  strange 
people,  we  are  led  to  exclaim,  ''Lo  the  poor  Indian!" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  SIX  NATIONS 

The  following  account  of  the  present  condition  of  the 
Six  Nations  is  taken  largely  from  the  Official  Census  of 
1900. 

SAINT  REGIS  INDIANS 

The  Saint  Regis  Indians  are  the  successors  of  the 
ancient  Mohawks,  and  their  reservation  is  situated  in 
both  St.  Lawrenie  and  Franklin  counties.  They  own 
about  15,000  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  could 
easily  be  made  into  productive  farming  land.  Some 
parts  are  exceptionally  fertile  and  nearly  all  is  well 
watered.  The  entire  reservation  is  level  or  slightly 
rolling.  The  timber  has  been  nearly  all  cut  away  for 
fuel.  The  roads  are  very  poor,  in  many  parts  being 
little  more  than  trails.  The  Saint  Regis  Indians  also 
occupy  a  large  tract  in  Canada,  as  many,  or  more, 
living  on  English  soil  as  in  New  York.  Three-fourths 
of  the  entire  tribe  are  Roman  Catholics.  They  have  a 
pleasant  little  church,  capable  of  seating  600  people, 
just  across  the  line  on  the  Canadian  border.  The 
Methodists  have  built  a  church  for  the  Protestant 
Indians  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The  Conference  sends  a 
regularly  ordained  preacher  who  is  supported  by  the 
Missionary  Society. 

Among  the  Indians  that  have  united  with  the 
churches  may  be  found  many  who  are  as  true  to  their 
professions  of  Christianity  as  are  their  white  neigh 
bors  who  have  liad  many  more  opportunities  for  relig 
ious  culture.  They  are  less  quarrelsome  than  many 
Indians,  and  are  generous,  consideiing  the  means  at 
their  disposal.  Intemperance  has  a  strong  hold  upon 


116  THE  IROQUOIS 

many,  and  especially  upon  those  who  are  able  to  wield 
considerable  influence.  They  are  known  for  the  purity 
of  their  home  life,  a  condition  brought  about  by  the 
teachings  and  influence  of  Christianity.  New  York 
maintains  5  separate  schools  for  the  education  of  the 
children  at  an  annual  expense  of  perhaps  $1,500.  The 
cost  of  the  school  buildings  was  about  $1,400.  The 
younger  generations  easily  acquire  the  rudiments  of 
English,  but  there  their  education  usually  stops.  The 
one  great  drawback  in  intellectual  development  is  the 
lack  of  ability  to  think  and  speak  in  English.  One 
writer  has  said :  "It  keeps  down  the  comprehension 
of  ideas,  which  cannot  find  expression  through  the 
Indian  vocabulary,  and  it  is  simply  impossible  for  the 
Indian  either  to  appreciate  his  condition  and  needs  or 
make  .substantial  progress  until  he  is  compelled  by 
necessity  to  make  habitual  use  of  English." 

THE   ONE  I  DAS 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  Oneidas  and  the  Tuscaroras 
under  the  influence  of  that  great  and  good  missionary, 
Mr.  Kirkland,  threw  in  their  lot  with  the  Patriots 
during  the  Revolution,  and  it  would  be  suppos 
ed  that  they,  after  having  been  so  long  in 
sympathy  with  the  civilization  of  the  whites,  would 
have  conformed  more  rapidly  to  new  conditions  which 
grew  up  after  the  close  of  that  long  and  sanguinary 
strife.  But  such  has  not  been  the  case.  In  1785  the 
Tuscaroras  united  with  the  Oneidas  in  selling  a  large 
portion  of  their  lands  to  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
tribe  kept  making  treaties  with  the  State  and  selling 
more  and  more  of  their  lands  until  in  1846  they  had 
but  350  acres  left.  About  this  time  the  greater  part  of 
the  nation  emigrated  to  Wisconsin  leaving  a  small 
remnant  to  hold  the  land  in  severalty.  There  is  some 
thing  pathetic  in  the  thought  of  these  red  friends  of 
our  forefathers  being  obliged  to  see  their  once  happy 


THE  OXEIDAS  117 

hunting  grounds  gradually  occupied  by  the  usurping 
pale  face  until  the}'  were  finally  compelled  to  leave  the 
scenes  of  their  youth,  and  the  groves  of  their  fore 
fathers  by  the  very  people  whom  they  had  befriended, 
and  seek  new  homes  far  toward  the  setting  sun. 

Besides  a  few  scattered  families  there  are  two  small 
clusters  of  houses,  one  at  Orchard  near  the  village  of 
Oneida,  and  another  at  Windfall  in  Madison  county. 
The  census  of  1890  showed  that  the  children  attended 
no  school,  and  attendance  at  church  was  only  occasion 
al.  The  most  of  them  do  not  till  the  little  land  they 
pretend  to  own.  Much  of  it  is  occupied  by  white 
people.  The  Indians  work  some,  by  the  day,  but 
spend  most  of  their  time  at  such  work  as  basket  weav 
ing,  or  idling  about.  They  are  peaceable  and  some 
are  assimilating  with  their  white  neighbors  and  slowly 
taking  on  the  manners  cf  civilization.  Studying  over 
the  present  condition  of  the  Oneidas,  we  were  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  speech  of  one  of  their  number,  ''before 
long  there  won't  be  any  of  us  left." 

THE  OXOXDAGAS 

The  Onondaga  reservation  lies  in  the  county  of  the 
same  name,  and  is  about  five  miles  south  of  the  city  of 
Syracuse.  The  Indians  own  about  6100  acres,  at  least 
three-fourths  of  which  could  be  made  highly  fertile. 
Underneath  the  reservation  lies  a  bed  of  limestone 
which  is  quarried  for  building  purposes,  and  brings  in 
some  revenue  to  the  tribe.  The  greater  portion  of  the 
farming  land  is  tilled  by  the  whites,  some  of  whom 
rent  of  the  Indians  under  sanction  of  the  State.  They 
pay  a  fair  rental  which  keeps  some  of  the  tribe  from 
want.  The  government  is  in  the  hands  of  twenty- 
seven  chiefs,  nearly  all  of  whom  belong  to  the  pagan 
party,  and- are  elected  as  in  olden  times  by  the  females 
of  the  families  represented.  In  the  constitution  of 
1882  provision  was  made  for  a  president,  judges,  clerk, 


US  THE  IROQUUlS 

treasurer,  marshal,  school  trustee  and  other  officers. 
L,aws  respecting  wills,  dowers,  the  settlement  of  es 
tates  and  marriage  were  made  to  conform  more  to  those 
of  the  State  of  New  York. 

There  are  twro  churches  on  the  reservation,  the 
Protestant  Episcopal,  and  the  Methodist.  While  the 
number  of  communicants  in  each  is  small,  yet  the 
buildings  are  commodious  and  would  be  ornaments  to 
any  village.  The  pastors  are  earnest  and  do  a  good 
work  among  the  few  who  profess  Christianity.  The 
non-christian,  or  Pagan  party,  hold  their  religious  rites 
at  the  council  house  of  the  nation. 

If  all  jealousies  and  rivalries  between  the  Christian 
societies  could  be  eliminated,  they  w^ould  wield  a  great 
er  influence  over  the  Pagan  party  and  eventually  might 
be  the  means  of  bringing  the  tribe  to  a  much  higher 
state  of  civilization. 

The  State  has  provided  one  school  for  the  Onondaga 
nation  which  is  held  in  a  building  that  cost  $500. 
This  is  centrally  located  and  should  be  attended  by  all 
the  children  of  school  age  on  that  reservation.  A  few, 
and  they  are  usually  the  children  of  Christian  Indians, 
attend  regularly,  but  the  greater  number  are  indiffer 
ent  to  education. 

TUSCARORA    RESERVATION 

This  nation  occupies  a  tract  of  land  of  about  6200 
acres  situated  in  Niagara  county  five  miles  from  Sus 
pension  Bridge.  This  is  one  of  the  best  cultivated 
tracts  of  all  the  land  owned  by  the  Six  Nations.  The 
chiefs  compel  every  land  owner  to  maintain  a  fence  at 
least  four  feet  high.  The  larger  part  of  the  land  is 
watered  with  pure  springs.  The  Indians  generally 
till  their  own  land,  except  those  who  are  physically 
unable  to  do  manual  labor.  These  lease  their  farms 
and  live  upon  the  rentals.  There  are  many  apple  and 


THE  SENEGAS  AND  TONAWANDA*  no 

peach  orchards,  and  the  raising  of  fruit  is  a  source  of 
considerable  profit. 

Government  among  the  Tuscaroras  is  administered 
much  as  it  is  among  the  Onondagas,  vacancies  among 
the  chiefs  being  filled  by  the  women  of  the  clans. 
There  are  a  president,  clerk,  treasurer,  etc.;  besides  a 
large  number  of  sachems  and  chiefs.  The  laws  are 
few  and  the  people  are  orderly  and  peaceable. 

The  Presbyterians  and  Baptists  both  maintain 
churches  each  of  which  has  a  good  Sunday  school, 
good  singing,  and  a  fairly  intelligent  audience. 
There  is  also  a  Ladies'  Aid  Society  in  connection  with 
the  church. 

There  are  two  schools  among  the  Tuscaroras  each 
presided  over  by  competent  teachers.  The  buildings 
have  attractive  surroundings,  but  the  attendance  is 
very  small. 

THE    SHXECAS 

The  Seneca  Indians  are  settled  on  five  different  re 
servations.  The  Tonawanda,  Allegany,  Oil  Spring, 
Cornplanter  and  Cattaraugu  \ 

TONAWANDA 

The  Tonawanda  reservation  embraces  about  6,500 
acres  of  land  lying  partly  in  each  of  the  counties  of 
Erie,  Genesee  and  Niagara.  The  roads  are  poor,  and 
the  fences  are  not  well  kept  up.  But  little  over  half 
of  the  reservation  is  cultivated  and  much  of  this  by 
white  people.  A  great  deal  of  the  timber  has  been 
wasted,  but  there  is  enough  for  a  few  years  to  come. 

There  are  three  church  buildings:  the  Baptist,  built 
of  brick  at  a  cost  of  $3,600,  has  a  membership  of  forty 
or  fifty.  The  church  members  are  the  proud  possess 
ors  of  a  good  organ.  The  Presbyterian  church,  cost 
ing  $2,500,  is  not  as  large  as  the  first  named,  nor  is  it 
as  influential;  while  the  Methodist  is  the  smallest  of 
the  three,  but  perhaps  not  less  active.  There  are  three 


120  THE  IROQUOIS 

schools  mentioned  for  the  education  of  these  Indians, 
but  little  if  any  more  interest  i.s  shown  in  books  than 
by  the  other  Indian  nations.  By  an  act  of  the  State 
Legislature  money  was  set  aside  to  erect  and  equip  a 
large  school  for  manual  training.  A  farm,  teams  and 
implements  were  provided,  but  through  indifference 
and  mismanagement  the  whole  scheme  was  dropped 
and  the  buildings  allowed  to  go  to  decay. 

The  Tonawanda  Senecas  are  govcrqed  by  thirty-four 
chiefs  elected  by  the  women.  The  executive  officers 
are  elected  by  a  vote  of  the  people. 

ALLEGANY 

The  Allegany  reservation  lies  in  Cattaraugus  county 
and  contains  over  30,000  acres,  of  which  not  much 
more  than  5,000  acres  are  either  under  cultivation  or 
used  for  pasturage.  The  soil  on  the  uplands  is  very 
poor,  and  the  lowlands  are  subject  to  floods.  A  great 
deal  of  the  land  is  covered  with  second  growth  timber, 
the  former  h^avy  growth  having  been  cut  and  rafted 
down  the  river. 

All  Allegany  and  Cattaraugus  reservations  are  both 
governed  by  a  constitution  which  provides  for  the 
election  of  a  council  of  sixteen  members.  There  is  a 
president  who  has  the  casting  vote  in  case  of  tie,  fills 
vacancies  till  the  next  election,  and  recommends  nec 
essary  measures  to  the  council.  Also  provides  for  a 
peacemaker's  court  elected  for  three  years,  which  has 
jurisdiction  in  all  matters  relating  to  wills,  estates, 
real  estate  and  divorces.  A  clerk,  treasurer  and  mar 
shals  are  also  provided  for. 

The  Presbyterians  have  one  church  on  this  large 
reservation  costing  $1500.  There  are  about  one  hun 
dred  members,  some  of  whom  labor  zealously  for  the 
conversion  of  their  tribe.  The  Baptists  have  a  very 
small  society.  The  State  provides  for  six  schools  all 
of  which  are  indifferently  attended. 


CATTARAUGUS  121 

OIL  SPRING 

The  Oil  Spring  reservation  contains  a  small  tract  of 
640  acres.  It  lies  in  both  Cattaraugus  and  Allegany 
counties. 

CORXPLANTER 

The  Cornplanter  reservation  lies  on  both  sides  of  the 
Allegheny  river  in  Warren  county,  Pa.  It  contains 
nearly  700  acres  and  is  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  fa 
mous  chief,  Cornplanter.  In  religious  matters  these 
Indians  are  closely  associated  with  those  of  the  Alle 
gany  reservation.  The  Presbyterians  have  a  small, 
but  well  built  church  with  a  membership  of  about 
forty.  They  own  a  church  organ  and  have  a  good 
Sunday  school. 

CATTARAUGUS 

This  reservation  lies  in  Cattaraugus,  Chautauqua 
and  Erie  counties,  and  contains  over  21,000  acres  of 
fertile  land  mostly  in  the  valley  formed  by  Cattaraugus 
Creek.  The  land  is  well  watered  and  capable  of  pro 
ducing  large  crops.  Wood  for  fuel  is  scarce,  but  there 
are  indications  of  the  presence  of  natural  gas  which 
may  in  the  future  take  the  place  of  that  article.  The 
roads  are  very  poor,  '.tho  some  efforts  are  occasionally 
made  to  improve  them. 

In  selecting  this  spot  for  their  permanent  homes, 
the  Senecas  exercised  good  judgment.  There  are  three 
religious  denominations  on  the  reservation.  The  Meth 
odists  have  a  church  which  cost  nearly  $2,000;  the 
Presbyterians  have  a  larger  building  costing  about 
$2,500;  while  the  Baptist  church  cost  but  $1,500.  In 
this  as  on  all  the  reservations,  the  Indians  pa}'  but 
little  toward  the  support  of  the  gospel,  the  greater  part 
of  the  expenses  being  paid  by  some  of  the  organizations 
of  the  different  churches. 

Perhaps  the  Cattaraugus  .schools  are  among  the  best, 
if  not  the  best  of  all  the  Indian  schools.  There  are 


12l>  THE  IKOQUOIS 

ten  in  number,  part  of  them  in  charge  of  experienced 
teachers.  In  1855  Mr.  Thomas  founded  a  school 
which  is  now  known  as  "The  Thomas  Orphan  Asy 
lum."  It  has  come  directly  under  the  control  of  the 
State.  It  has  a  productive  farm,  a  good  boarding 
home,  and  hospital,  thus  making  it  an  ideal  home  for 
the  orphan  children  of  the  Six  Nations.  There  are 
regular  hours  for  study,  recreation  'and  work,  and  the 
children  are  guided  by  sympathetic  and  affectionate 
teachers.  The  Indian  boys  and  girls  display  excellent 
musical  talent,  and  many  of  them  have  become  really 
proficient  in  the  common  branches,  and  in  physiology, 
history  and  drawing.  This  school  clearly  demon 
strates  what  might  be  done  to  raise  the  Indian  to  a 
higher  intellectual  plane  when  he  is  surrounded  by  the 
advantages  and  opportunities  for  growth  which  the 
more  fortunate  whites  enjoy. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


MAY281966  20 


MAY  1 2  1971 « 


MAY  121! 


APR  2  8 


JW? 


LD  21A-60m-10,'65 
(F7763slO)476B 


(A9562slO)476B 


alia] 

w  i   •       wv  f      ' 

Diversity  of ' 
Berkeley 

Jniversity  of  California 
Berkeley 


YB  35528 


